Time Swap
by Nature9000
Summary: The twisted plan of a madman sends three-year old Charlie back in time, trading places with her birth mother, who is promptly pulled into the future. It is up to Gabe, and his newfound friend, Tommy, to restore mother and daughter to their proper place in time before they both fade from existence, and history is forever rewritten.
1. Prologue

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N: So this is kind of something new I'm doing, a bit sci-fi kind of, not quite. Timey Winey stuff, haha. This idea was inspired by a misinterpreted youtube video, sure enough. We're starting off in 2009, but the rest is taking place in 2012, as well as 1999. There's a little change I have to do for Charlie's birth, you'll understand that she is adopted.

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Chapter 1 (Prologue)

_May 23, 2009_

Something was terribly wrong, the doctors advised Amy against having children at her age, but she never listened much. She was a nurse, she knew the ramifications, and the pregnancy had seemed to be going without a hitch, but as the woman lay on the operating table, she felt a depressing sinking sensation within her belly. Being forty years of age and having a baby could lead to many medical problems for the child, but she'd been taking excellent care of her child, had she not?

When she looked up at the nurse and Dr. Singh, the expressions on their faces were that of something she'd seen all too many times. Her baby was going to be a stillbirth! Tears started to well up in her eyes as she tilted her head back on the pillow and let out a loud scream. Her heart was splitting from her chest, and her body trembling. How could this happen? Not to _her_, it couldn't happen to her. She prayed she was wrong, she prayed the nurse and doctor were just exhausted and depressed about having to be there. No, it would be unprofessional for them to do that. As much as she wanted to say it was wrong, her gut instinct was preparing her for the agony soon to come.

In the neighboring room, a young fourteen year old girl lay on a delivery table, listening to the sounds of the mother crying out in the room over. She let her eyes drift to the baby in her arms. The girl's blue, watery eyes were covered by her blonde bangs. She had short, stringy blonde hair that brushed against her bare shoulders. Standing beside her was her best friend, a tall fourteen year old with black dreads and chocolate eyes that matched her milk chocolate skin. The girl smiled at her and put a hand to her arm. "It'll be okay, Angelica…"

"I'm scared. How do I know what'll happen to her?" This baby in her arms, she knew she couldn't take care of. Her father was hardly home to help take care of a baby, and the boy that was the father of this child, was just a douche that wouldn't take responsibility. She'd been planning to give the baby up for adoption since her mother passed away. Her mom had been a CEO of a major corporation for many years, and just a few months ago, was murdered by her former assistant whom she fired a year ago. "I can't raise her, but I can't bear the thought of just…giving her away. She needs to go to a loving family."

It wasn't helping that her head was already pounding, the wailing mother in the room over was making the headache worse. She snuggled the infant close and exhaled calmly. The doctor that delivered her child was talking with a social worker at the moment, they were discussing what would happen with the child. "Susie, I can't…I know I can't raise her, but…" She had to be the tough one here, she had to be the strong one. Susie brushed some of her blonde bangs from her hair.

"I know you're upset, It's a difficult choice." She wouldn't have had to make this decision if it hadn't been for that man she was dating. He'd pressured her so much into having sex, because 'everyone else' was doing it. She was just _thirteen_ at the time! She knew better! Her entire family was upset with her after it happened, but the all eventually came to accept it. "Better than the alternative?" Alternative? No, that was never even considered, and she wouldn't be able to do such a thing.

She peered down at the child and felt her heartbeat racing, struggling to escape her chest. Her dad was never going to be able to help her, he was so wrapped up in his work, and she was so focused in school, that she just couldn't do the job. She wanted so desperately to be able to be the mother. With a heavy sigh, she traced a delicate finger along the child's forehead. "I wish I could…I wish I could take care of her…" A loud wail broke from the other room, startling her. She turned her head over her shoulder and frowned. "What's going on over there? I mean I know it's some woman going through labor, but…" Her chest tightened as she listened to the wailing sob, something terrible was going on. She wanted to know what it was, and if there was anything she could do.

"That's my cousin's friend's mother…You know Ivy?" She didn't know Ivy that well, as she never actually met the girl. Susie always talked about her though, and very highly as well. Ivy was the daughter of Mary Lou, who was the sister to Susie's mother. "Her best friend Teddy's mom went into labor, I got that text a while ago…" Angelica hummed and looked down to her baby. The minute she found out she was pregnant, the boy that did it broke up with her and left, enraging everyone in her family.

"Dad's at work, Tommy's elsewhere…thanks for being here, Susie."

"Any time." Angelica started thinking of the Duncan family, she'd heard many things about them through Susie, who was always relaying whatever Ivy told her. It seemed they were a very good family, and they took care of each other. A mother, father, and loving siblings were exactly what she wanted for her daughter. She trusted Susie enough that if her friend trusted Ivy's word, then the Duncan family were trustworthy. "What are you thinking about?"

"I don't know, I'm just wondering…Any word on how Mrs. Duncan's doing?" Susie didn't seem very sure, so she pulled out her phone and started texting her cousin. After a couple minutes, Susie's face twisted in sorrow and horror. Angelica raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, greatly concerned. "What is it? What's going on?" The woman next door had not stopped her wailing.

"Ivy texted me back, she said…Amy's baby was…stillborn." Her eyes widened and her heart screeched to a halt. Her eyes started to glaze over as the doctor and social worker entered the room. She slowly turned her eyes to them, then looked down to her tiny infant.

It was hard to part with the baby, and she knew the time had come that she would. Her body was burning with the pain of her emotions beating down on her. She wasn't ready, but maybe if the baby went to that family, everything would be all right. The child would be taken care of, she knew this from the stories told. "Charlotte…after my mother. That's my only request." That way, a little part of her would be given with the child. Susie raised her eyebrows as Angelica cuddled her baby one final time. "Just a little more time…"

Amy wept as Dr. Singh took the child from her. Bob was kneeling beside her, and her kids were all standing about the room with forlorn expressions. Even Ivy couldn't bring up the mood. Amy felt her husband enclose his hands around hers, then he bowed his head onto her hands. She broke into a single sob and shook her head, unable to believe what happened. "I lost the baby, Bob…how could I lose the baby?"

"I'm sorry Amy." He was struggling to find something to say. Even the kids were upset. They were all prepared for the new arrival, and even had a room all set up for the baby. Where do they go from here? "I love you, honey. We'll get through this, you're strong." She wanted to rise above this, somehow find a silver lining above it all. She started to wipe her eyes, shivering beneath the hospital sheets. This was the first time a hospital room really seemed as cold as people said it was.

"I'm old, aren't I…I failed…I failed!"

Bob started to say something, but stopped when the door opened and startled everyone. "Amy," Dr. Singh said with a calm voice. He was holding onto a tiny, sleeping infant. To his right was his nurse, and to his left was a stern looking woman in a blue suit and long brown hair up in a bun. Amy sobbed at the sight of the baby. "This baby…is yours…"

"What?" She froze and raised an eyebrow as the rest of the family turned their skeptical gazes onto the doctor. He walked over to her and slowly lowered the baby to her chest. She tentatively cradled the young girl and looked down with a sad smile. "I don't understand."

"A young mother, fourteen years old, gave birth today as well. She was planning to put her child up for adoption, and was unsure if she could trust just anyone…so she heard about your family, learned you were good people, and heard of your loss."

The woman lifted a hand, twirling a pen between her fingers. "The mother has requested her name not be known at this time, but she has requested a name. _Charlotte_, she says her mother's name was Charlotte." Amy gasped softly and snuggled the baby close. The baby opened her eyes and looked up. Amy was in awe of the adorable young child. She was amazed that there was someone out there, a total stranger, who trusted her family to take her child in. "I'll just need you to fill out some paperwork, and you can take her home with you."

With an uncertain heart, and a nervous gaze, she looked to her family and then Bob for answers. "S-Should we adopt the little one? I…" Bob put his arm around her shoulders and looked down at the baby with a gentle smile. There was no way they would forget the child that they lost, but at the very least, they would have a child to love and raise.

"I think we should bring Charlotte into our family. Yes." The kids came over and Teddy lifted the baby up in her arms, cradling her gently. Amy swept a tear from her own face and exhaled carefully. This was a big moment for her, and if they ever met the young girl that gave them her daughter, she wanted to thank her. She'd do everything in her power to raise this baby right.

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So this is the prologue. Let me explain that while it's set to be in Charlotte's perspective, for a while we also have Angelica's perspective _because_ when the time swap happens, it's Gabe, Tommy and Angelica trying to figure a way back. Whenever they switch back, that's when Charlie's perspective takes full control of the story. It's going to be good, so I hope you'll enjoy it. I'll upload the next chapter with this one.


	2. Mysteries and Questions

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N: So this is kind of something new I'm doing, a bit sci-fi kind of, not quite. Timey Winey stuff, haha. This idea was inspired by a misinterpreted youtube video, sure enough. We're starting off in 2009, but the rest is taking place in 2012, as well as 1999. There's a little change I have to do for Charlie's birth, you'll understand that she is adopted.

* * *

Chapter 2 (Mysteries and Questions)

_Present Day-September 16, 2012_

Charlie Duncan opened her eyes with a laugh, bouncing out of her tiny bed and grabbing her favorite bunny stuffed animal. It was bright and early Sunday morning, and the family would be going to church. It would be the first time her little brother, Toby, was able to attend. He'd mostly been staying with Mrs. Dabney in the weeks since his birth. Now the family was ready to take him.

Church was always fun for her, she got to be put with the little toddlers in her nursery, and was the 'princess' of the place. She ruled the place, as she was the oldest kid there! Three years old, the oldest kid there besides her was about two. "Got to wake daddy!"

She bounced out towards the living room, hearing her mother's spirited greeting as she charged to the blue couch where her father was lounging with his ball cap over his face. Charlie giggled when she moved to her dad and slowly lifted the bunny, taking aim. Almost instantly, her father smirked and lifted her up, laughing. "Aha! Got you!" Bob cheered. Charlie laughed in surprise, stunned that he was already awake. He stood up and her feet kicked in the air. She smacked her rabbit onto her dad's shoulder, still laughing wildly as her father studied her. "Still in your pajamas? We need to get you dressed." Bob looked off to the right and called out to Amy. "Hey Ames, I'll take Toby, you need to get Charlotte dressed for church."

"All right dear." Amy walked over as Bob set Charlie on the ground. Instantly, she charged off, running towards the kitchen. She wasn't ready to go visit the 'dumb babies' just yet. "Charlie, come back here!" She shook her head and ran into the kitchen, then froze at the familiar voice. She turned her gaze to the table and frowned as a deep anger stirred inside her. Sitting at the table, next to a properly dressed Teddy, was Spencer Walsh in a shimmering suit.

Spencer looked over to her with a vague smile and waved at her. "Hey Char-" Charlie let out a tribal cry and ran for Spencer, slamming her bunny against him. He laughed and lifted her up into the air as Teddy started to scold her. Spencer's lips curled up into a wide grin as he looked over to the woman. "She's just energetic this morning, possibly looking forward to church. I tell you, I'm a bit nervous, I've never been to your church before…"

Church was a place for _good_ people, Spencer wasn't _good_ people. "You don't go to church!" Charlie scolded as she pointed an accusing finger at him. Even before he hurt her older sister, she detested him. "You're not good people!" Spencer's eyebrow arched and Teddy took Charlie from him, laughing nervously. Charlie couldn't explain why she didn't care for him. It was like there was some sort of connection that made her stomach curl in his presence. "You bad people! Church for good people!"

"Now Charlie, Spencer's changed," Teddy responded while kissing her on the top of her head. Spencer chuckled and rubbed Charlie's head. She smacked his arm away with her bunny and started squirming in Teddy's grasp. Her sister sighed in defeat and shook her head. "Always the adventurous one. Makes me wonder, sometimes…" Her mom and dad weren't nearly as adventurous as she was, but she paid no mind to that. While it was indeed strange, it wasn't something her young mind cared to understand. Teddy looked to Spencer and smiled calmly at him. "Mom and Dad ought to bring it up sometimes. It's best for those things to be known when children are young enough to understand how to talk."

She finally broke free from Teddy's grasp and hopped down onto the ground. She hurried out the door, hearing PJ's voice in the doorway. She laughed giddily as he reached down to try and grab her, but failed once she slid between his legs. "Charlie, you need to get dressed for church!" PJ called out. "I swear, every time…"

Her head shot towards the front door, Gabe was opening it up to let Jo in. It was couples day at the church, whatever that meant. Skyler had returned from New York, so she and PJ were together again. She liked Skyler, always warm and gentle, loving just like her sister was. Jo was great as well, so Charlie approved of her, even though she could be a scary force at times. Jo smiled at her and knelt down, spreading her arms out. "Charlie!" Jo called out. Gabe looked over at her, chuckling softly. Charlie heeded Jo's call and ran for her, laughing gaily. Jo wrapped her arms around her and lifted her up, hugging her tight. "Hey Charlie, it's been a while, I missed you."

"Missed you too!"

Jo, like Skyler, had been away for some time. Though, unlike Skyler, from what she understood of the situation, Jo had been living with relatives in another state for a couple of months. They saw each other again when she came back about a week ago. "Is she still not dressed?" Gabe asked. Charlie laughed and looked over to her youngest older brother. He took her into his arms and smirked. "Hey little sis, everyone's been trying to get a hold of you." Uh oh, she was in trouble, Gabe was going to hand her over! Dang, she'd been caught!

Charlie crossed her arms and glared at him as he handed her over to Amy. "Come on sweetie," Amy cooed, "It's time to get you dressed. I know just the dress for you today, that one Ivy sent over from her cousin. It would look great on you!" Charlie rolled her eyes and hugged her mom's neck, staring down at Gabe. The boy was grinning at her, one arm around Jo's waist.

The dress Ivy sent over was a shade of purple and it looked like a ballerina's tutu. Inside of this tutu dress with shoulder straps was a red undershirt. The pants of the dress were purple with some green dots. Ivy had told the family the dress was actually donated to her cousin from a friend, her cousin gave the dress to Ivy, and Ivy handed the dress over to the Duncan family. No one knew the history of this dress, but as odd as it appeared, Charlie _loved_ it. What she didn't love were the purple bowties that her mother put in her hair every Sunday.

Each Sunday her mom would put her hair up in pigtails, with two purple bows that hung close to the ends. They always brushed against her neck, scratching it and making her itch all throughout the day. Half the time, she was tempted to throw the bows off her head and dump them into one of those trash bins that mysteriously emptied out each day. Wherever the trash went, she wasn't sure, but those things had to be home to some sort of black hole to another universe!

Within an hour, she'd been dumped off at the church's nursery. She sighed heavily and brushed her hands along her dress. She heard the babies and toddlers of the nursery greet her happily. She flashed a grin at them and walked towards the group of eight. She had about a year or two before she had to move up to the kindergarten group.

Before she got anything out, she heard another familiar voice behind her. "Hi Charlie." Her eyes widened and she spun around to see Emmett's nephew, Mason! His hair was up in an afro, and his brown eyes peered out from his chubby face. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly folded her arms over. If he was here, that meant she wasn't the queen of the domain anymore! He was older than she was, by at least a few months!

"Mason, you don't come here…" She was still looking forward to the next grade class. Her friend Dee Dooley was currently in it, being two years older. Mason nodded and leaned against the wall.

"Yeah, I live with my Uncle Emmett now. Well, sort of, I'm with grandma and grandpa because I can't be at his home." Why was this? Where were his parents? She felt a sorrow deep inside while Mason merely shrugged his shoulders. "Mom and Dad went away. I don't know when they're going to be back, but Grandma and Grandpa say I'll be living with Uncle Emmett once he's done with his school."

"Well maybe we should try to find your mom and dad."

"I don't know, no one knows where they went. In fact, I think they're asleep…a minister was reading them some sort of bedtime story a week ago." Charlie felt her heart despair, she understood what must have happened. It was difficult to understand, and she was still unsure about the concept of death, but Mrs. Dabney explained it to her a few months ago.

Mrs. Dabney had a son who passed on some time ago, and Charlie asked what that meant, and the woman explained it. She said it simply that it meant he was gone, and would not be back, but that he was in a much better place. She said that it was a place where angelic people sing, dance, and everyone loves each other. There's no hate, no pain, no sorrow, but a perfect world.

"The world is full of strange things, Mason." Mysteries, as the adults called it. For instance, her earliest memory was that of a beautiful blonde woman gazing down at her with a teary-eyed smile. Beside this woman was another girl, about the same age, with dark skin and dreads over her shoulders, her hand on the woman's shoulder and her lips up in a sad smile. She remembered being carried away, hearing the woman sob, then was handed to her mother. Amy.

Who these girls were, she never questioned it. They looked about the same age as Teddy. They could have worked at the place she arrived, they could have been the angels that gave her to her mom and dad.

"The only way we can discover the answers to all the strangeness that's out there, is to explore!" Charlie exclaimed cheerfully. Mason's eyebrows as she gazed over to the teenage girl sitting in a wooden chair at the corner. Her back was turned to everyone, and her phone was out. "I got an idea, let's go see Dee, she'll know what to do! She tells me _everything_." Mason laughed and Charlie quickly turned on her toes. She put her hands to her hips and called out. "Hey you babies, let's go see Dee!"

The babies all cheered and started running to the nursery door, the upper half was open wide. Mason raised an eyebrow as the babies started to build some sort of human ladder. "You uh…do this often?"

"Yeah, the girl never pays any attention to us. She's supposedly getting a replacement today, but I haven't seen that person."

It wasn't long before they were all out of the door. Charlie had been the first to climb over, then she opened it for the rest. She led the group to the kindergarten class where Dee was. Halfway there, she stopped, letting the babies continue onwards. She bowed her head and closed her hands. Something was stopping her, as it often did, from keeping consistent with a strong front.

It was that deep sorrow she had, an inexplicable sorrow that often rose up within her and demanded her attention. She wasn't always the happy little girl she portrayed herself to be, and she never knew why. Everything confused her, and nothing in her life felt right. Dee often said she was older than she was, which she never understood, but there were various things she did understand about the world.

One thing she understood, she was a bit different from her family. This troubled her. She felt _incomplete_. Most of these babies felt nothing could be wrong with the universe, so why did she? Why did that first memory of hers trouble her so deeply?

She looked to the voices on the right and pulled her lips into a frown. Jo had her back turned to the passing children, and was talking to some girl. Instantly she recognized the girl as the friend that was with the teary blonde from her memory. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes glazed over. Nearby was Gabe, talking to a boy about his age. This boy was thin, had purple-looking hair that was spiked up.

"So where is the nursery at?" Jo asked with a curious tone. "I'm supposed to be taking over, I think." Charlie gasped and threw her hand to her forehead, this wasn't good. They wouldn't be able to escape _Jo!_

"Uh oh," the girl spoke, looking past Jo. "I think you've got your work cut out for you already…"

"What?" Jo turned around and gawked at Charlie and the babies, who were only a few feet away. She put her hands to her hips and called out to them. "Kids!" The babies all froze and turned their anxious gazes to the older girl. Jo's voice took them by command, and Charlie herself knew better than to disobey her. "Come here please."

Charlie walked towards her, still shifting her gaze to the other girl. _Susie_. She remembered that was what the blonde had called her. Susie was watching her, shaking her head and smiling. Charlie looked back to Jo and lifted her hands. "I sorry, Jo." Jo lifted her up and gazed down at her, slowly smiling.

"Aw I can't be mad at you. Anyway, let's get you and your friends back to the nursery, we can't have you running around the church." Gabe, Susie, and the other boy all helped gather the remaining children, then guide them carefully towards the nursery. Charlie listened to Jo scold the girl that was supposed to have been watching, but her gaze was still resting on Susie.

She wanted to ask who she was, she wanted answers to the questions she had. She wanted to know why she felt this deep mournful emotion when she shouldn't feel it at all. Fear gripped her and held her back from asking any questions, so she only remained a statue until Susie left with Gabe and his purple-haired friend.

_"Then, who am I?"_ The question broached her mind as she questioned that earliest memory. She needed confirmation that Susie and that blonde girl were no one important. She needed the confirmation that Amy and Bob _were_ her parents, and weren't they? Was she not Charlotte Duncan?

Most kids her age would just simply ignore these questions and thoughts, and they'd go along with their lives. Nothing was wrong in the world. Nothing needed to be wrong, but to her, something _was_ wrong, and she _wanted_ to get to the bottom of it. She never ignored these thoughts or feelings that she had, because it would just be wrong to ignore them. They were there for a reason, weren't they? It was just a shame that she was still limited to what she could understand on her own. Having a friend like Dee, who was almost two years older, was a good start.

One thing was dreadfully clear to her, though. She did not get her logic from her mother and father.

* * *

Your thoughts? Your observations?


	3. Trading Times

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N: So this is kind of something new I'm doing, a bit sci-fi kind of, not quite. Timey Winey stuff, haha. This idea was inspired by a misinterpreted youtube video, sure enough.

* * *

Chapter 3 (Trading Times)

After church, Charlie was free to romp about the home, though she wasn't in too much of a mood to run around. Being the curious toddler that she was, she decided it was in her best interest to explore and see what the family was up to. She first made her way downstairs towards Teddy's bedroom, stopping midway on the steps.

She put her hands on the railing and peered over at the blue couch below, Spencer had his arm around Teddy, who did not look too happy with him. "It's not so bad," Spencer admitted. "I mean we can try in a few days, we don't have to do it now, I'm just saying it's good to get that first time out of the way." Charlie raised her eyebrow and growled. It was to her best benefit _not_ to run down the stairs and attack Spencer once more, but this was hard as hell to resist.

"Spencer, I am honestly not that interested. My family wouldn't approve. Neither would I…" Spencer shrugged his shoulders and Charlie slowly looked up to the door. She couldn't kick the man out of the house, she was too young, and nobody would ever listen to _her_. Charlie knew what Spencer was trying to do, it was very difficult for her to understand, but she'd heard mentioned by some extremely older kids what s-e-x was. When she asked what they were talking about, much to Dee's annoyance, the kids said it was how babies were made. Aside from that conversation, she never brought it up again with anyone.

_"Score for being the only three year old knowing what that does…"_ She rolled her eyes and quickly stepped up the stairs. _Stupid Spencer_, there were already enough kids in this house, he didn't need to put any of his own in there. Maybe when she was older, she'd know the rules of that whole thing, but she just simply wasn't interested at this point in her life. She hurried up to the second story floor where all the bedrooms were, and was overjoyed to hear PJ and Skyler talking. _"I wonder what they're talking about. If it isn't me, I may just have to make myself the point of the conversation!"_

When she entered the bedroom, PJ was sitting at his desk while Skyler stood behind him. They were looking up something on his movable white box that he carried around with him. "So which one's closest that you'd like to go to?" PJ asked as he pointed to the screen. "We can go to the Applebees on Barker St, or the Café Sicilia on Tracey Ave." Skyler rubbed her chin and leaned over his shoulder, reaching her arm around him and pointing at the screen.

"I really like Café Sicilia. Superb Italian food, and I haven't been there yet since I moved back here with Dad."

"Okay, great. Then after that, how about I show you the apartment that Emmett and I share? I think he's over there, he'd probably enjoy seeing you." Charlie leaned against the doorframe and released a heavy sigh. When was listening to PJ so boring? She was in the room, and he was planning some sort of date or outing with his lady! She stepped into the room and clapped her hands in the air, causing both PJ and Skyler to turn to her. PJ grinned and Skyler cooed.

"Aw, Charlie wants our attention!" Skyler hurried over and swept her up with her arms. Charlie laughed as she spun through the air. Her ponytails were flapping in her face, which was a bit of a minor annoyance when taking into account the fun she was having with Skyler. Once the girl stopped, she sat on the bed and started grooming Charlie's hair. Now _this_ was _good_ attention. "So Charlie, how was church? Did you enjoy your time with all the other kids? I know Jo took over in the nursery, so I do hope that was a good time."

"It was, Sky." She didn't know what to say, to be honest. She always enjoyed herself with the nursery kids, and Jo definitely made it fun. When she gathered everyone into the nursery, she started to play games with the kids, having the older ones play musical chairs, while the younger ones started to fall asleep on the mats. "Jo is always fun!" Now, while she was indeed fun, she herself didn't participate in all of the games. Rather, she hung towards the side of the room and watched, stewing over her thoughts. Jo tried to involve her in everything, but even that girl couldn't do it. Having seen _Susie_ in person was one thing that was too shocking for her.

Then, the purple-haired kid she wasn't sure about. There was a connection there, but she didn't know what it was, and had spent the majority of the day trying to figure it out. Why was it she felt like she knew him from somewhere? Why was it she felt that she should know him, or that he was family in some way? It was too much for her to think about. "What did you do in the nursery, Charlie?" She scratched her head and flashed a bright grin.

"We played musical chairs." She didn't say a whole lot, because she didn't want her family to think it was odd for a three year old to be talking like she was a bit older. It was simply what happens when you have older friends, and Dee was most certainly _not_ her _oldest_ friend. Whenever she was taken to the park, there was always this one kid, close to nine or ten years of age, that she enjoyed hanging out with. It was this kid that she learned the most about life from, despite the fact that it frankly irritated the living hell out of Dee.

"Sounds like a lot of fun! I wish PJ and I could take you on our date…Mr. and Mrs. Duncan don't want us to do that." Charlie laughed once and hugged Skyler's neck. She honestly didn't care to go anyway, she'd rather run freely about the place. Maybe even find a way outside and hurry next door to where Dee was. She did it all the time, climbing from her bedroom window and hurrying over to play with Dee. That was, until the Dooley's found out she was there and took her home. "Aw you're such a cutie."

"I try." She giggled at Skyler and hopped down from the bed, running over to PJ and hugging his legs. "I love PJ." PJ's face brightened. He hugged her back and lifted her up to his lap. "When is the date?"

"We'll be heading out pretty soon," PJ answered. "When we get back, we'll take you to the park, okay?" She bounced in his lap, cheering on the idea. It had been a while since she'd been out there, and truly, she was getting a bit of burnout from it. "That sounds like fun, huh?"

"Yes!" She laughed happily and hopped back onto the ground, spun around in place, then ran outside. PJ was probably her favorite sibling, aside from little Toby of course. Now Toby was what this older kid called a 'miracle', that her mom had been so old that Toby shouldn't have even _survived_ his birth. _"I want to find Mommy and Daddy."_ Whatever her parents were up to, she was excited to find out. Most Sundays they would sit her on the bed and read the scripture, sometimes they would end up falling asleep on their bed.

When she made her way into the bedroom, she was stunned to see her father sleeping on the floor and her mom asleep on the edge of the bed. Toby was in his crib at the side wall, laughing heartily. Thinking fast, she hurried over to Toby and put her hands up on the edge of his crib. Toby could talk to her, but no one else understood him. It was just one of those understanding baby talk things, everyone would understand him when he was old enough to talk. "Hey Toby, why's Daddy on the floor?"

"They fell down to sleep," Toby answered in the best way that he could. Sometimes his talking wasn't easy for even her to understand, but she did her best. The art of baby-talk was leaving her. "Tired. Going to wake them soon…" She raised an eyebrow and felt a stench like a pile of old manure coming to her nostrils. She gagged and swept her hand in front of her face.

"Ah, Toby! Why when I'm standing here? Why!" Her stomach churned inside of her while the stench created a very nauseating urge for her to run for the bathroom. She couldn't _stand_ whenever he unloaded into his diaper. She pinched her nose and Toby looked up at her with sorrowful eyes.

"Sorry Charlie."

"It's okay, just be careful when you let one of those out!" She gagged and rushed for the door, groaning loudly. When she made her way out to the top of the living room stairs, she heard Jo and Gabe talking to some stranger. Her gaze shifted down and her heart screeched to a halt. The purple-haired boy was standing in the living room with Gabe and Jo!

She had to get into this. She _needed_ to be a part of this conversation! Maybe she could discover why he seemed so familiar to her. 'Purple-hair', as she called him, was wearing a white T-shirt with blue sleeves, and long black jeans. He had a friendly smile, slender nose, and deep set eyes. Around his neck was a chain necklace and a metal object that was shaped like one of those balls that soldiers threw in war movies that her dad watched on the television. She was almost certain her father called them 'grenades', but clearly, the object wasn't one of them. It lacked the trigger.

"So Tommy, I thought Susie and Chuckie were coming over to help with the homework assignment?" Gabe stated. Charlie carefully inched towards the back of the sofa, pressing her back against it and narrowing her eyes.

"They'll be here." So, they had to work on some project for school. As she listened, she heard the word science being thrown about, so likely they had to make something. Hopefully this wouldn't turn out like that rocket that Gabe and their mom attempted to make a while back, or that volcano thing that Gabe and Jo worked so hard on. Now, Tommy mentioned _Susie_, so she definitely wanted to get in on this. "You want to just talk about the project till they get here, or hang out?"

"I guess we can wait," Jo remarked. "What's that thing on your neck, by the way? I notice you carry that around with you at school a lot." Tommy looked down at the object and chuckled.

"It has a big story behind it, that's for sure. Just a dumb 'toy' my Dad made when I was a baby, he said he was trying to invent it to be a time machine of some sort that takes you back to your relatives and all. It never worked, so he gave it to me, and I just kept it around like a good luck charm." Charlie's eyebrows rose and she slowly peered around the couch, gazing up at the object. A time machine? That ugly thing? Of course it never worked, time travel was impossible. "He had it set on the 'mom' setting last, wanted to go back in time with Uncle Drew to see their own mother again. When he pressed the button, nothing happened."

"Did you ever try to figure out what the problem was?"

"Nah, I'd rather not mess with something like this. Dad was the inventor, I got his brains, but I don't really want to be one. Only thing I'm inventing, is our science project." She wanted to get her hands on that thing, just to look at it, but how could she do that when it was around this man's neck? She waited as the teens sat on the bed, Tommy pulled the object from his neck while Gabe and Jo marveled over it. He started turning a wheel on the side, chuckling a bit. "See, if you wanted to go to 1999 for example, you could. The button at the top, underneath this casing has a little thumb scanner on it, where it can read your thumbprint and DNA, enabling the user to go back into time to where their 'mother' is."

"Mother, because that's the setting it's on right now?"

"Exactly."

Gabe chuckled and slowly shook his head. "I wonder where Charlie's mother would be in that year." Charlie raised an eyebrow and looked back as Jo questioned that Amy was pregnant that year. "No, Charlie was adopted actually…" She froze in place, her entire world crashed in that instant. _Adopted_? Wait, what did that mean? Amy _wasn't_ her mother? Who was then? Jo and Tommy asked about it, and Gabe went on to explain. Charlie put her hand to her chest, feeling her heart thrashing about without remorse. A whimper left her lips as she slowly turned her eyes towards the upper floor. "Mom had a baby back in 2009, but it was stillborn…it didn't survive. Then, by a miracle, this girl that gave birth to Charlie gave her to us. All we know is she was fourteen at the time, and unable to raise her baby. She named her Charlotte, because of her mother, I think. Either way, she didn't want to be known…"

"Oh my god," Jo was utterly speechless, and Charlie was steadily growing angrier. Tears welled up in her eyes as her mind flashed back to that original memory. The blonde, and _Susie_, they gave her up? Why? Amy and Bob weren't even her _parents_? She tilted her head back and screamed, taking everyone in the room by surprise. Tommy dropped his device on the floor, cracking it, and Gabe quickly looked over to Charlie with wide eyes. Jo's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh no, she heard you."

"Charlie I-oh no…" Gabe hurried over to her and tried to reach down, but she didn't want anyone coming near her right now. She wanted _answers!_ She shot past him, still crying out, and quickly picked up the now-sparking object. Gabe and Tommy froze and looked at each other. "Um Tommy, has that thing ever done that before?"

"No." Now able to see inside, Charlie could see a loose wire with a metal loop just a bit below a metal hook hanging from the button. She bolted for the door, hooking the wire at the same time. "What is she doing?"

"Charlie! Come back!" The door started to open, and there was _Susie_ at the door! Charlie clenched her teeth and ran between her legs, exclaiming in anger as she hurried out for the street. She wasn't sure where she was going, or why, but what she did want to do was see Dee. She ducked behind a shrub and the group ran past her. When she was certain they were out of sight, she started walking off, back towards the street, sniffling.

"Dee will know what to say…" She sat Indian-style and wiped her eyes, whimpering as all the emotions started coming to her. How come no one ever told her she was adopted? Why keep that truth from her? How come no one said she replaced a real baby that died at birth? "I might understand…" She looked down at the object and let a tear fall down into the crack. "Stupid invented thing…even this won't have answers…"

She flipped open the upper lid, revealing a thin red button, then pressed down on it. Of course she didn't expect it to work, but going back to see her mother would have been fantastic. Though, by what Tommy said, it had never been used. She screamed out in anguish and threw the device down the road, watching it bounce along the street, rolling into an intersection where a car was stopped at the stop sign. Much to her chagrin, the object was beneath the tire. In the car was a man watching her, he seemed to have a large book in his hands.

When she rose up to her feet, hoping to retrieve the item, she heard a loud crackling noise behind her. Her body tensed and she slowly looked over her shoulder, seeing a large smoky circle behind her, like a wormhole in those sci-fi movies that Gabe sometimes watched. "What is…that…"

A lump formed in her throat as the smoke surrounded her, pulling her in. She screamed loudly as her body lifted off the ground. Her heart rate was rising and her body was heating up. "What happening? No! No!" She twisted and looked ahead of her, whimpering as she spotted a white light in the distance, and a yellow looking dot flying towards her. "What…"

"Help me!" The dot screamed. "You dumb babies!" Was this her 'mother'? 1999, as Tommy and Gabe were discussing. This meant, quite simply, that her birth mother was in this year. She wasn't good at math, but she was plenty sure that was a very long time. Closer, she could see a girl about her age, if not a year older, who looked almost exactly like she did. The girl stared wide-eyed as Charlie reached out for her. "Who are you?"

"Charlie…are you my…birth mother?"

"Birth-what, mother? I'm just a kid, I don't have any-" Before the girl could say anything further, they passed each other in this apparent time stream. The girl could be heard shouting and accusing the babies on the other end for doing this, whatever this was.

When she popped out of the time stream, it vanished behind her, and she found herself alone in a very strange looking house. "Where…am I…" She was shaken up, scared, and very confused. This was an entirely new place, and she didn't want to be here. She looked back and whimpered when she noticed the hole was gone. "N-No…"

* * *

So Charlie has been dumped in the past. Allow me to clarify, yes the man is the antagonist and yes, the birth mother being pulled back was _his_ doing. Also, what he was just doing did something to the present day Angelica, we will see what later.


	4. Who and Where

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N: So this is kind of something new I'm doing, a bit sci-fi kind of, not quite. Timey Winey stuff, haha. This idea was inspired by a misinterpreted youtube video, sure enough.

* * *

Chapter 4 (Who and Where?)

The walls were peach, smooth in appearance, and the carpeting was very coarse against Charlie's fingers. She started to gaze around, her heartbeat racing a mile a minute. Whose home was this? Someone was snoring nearby, a very garbled and throaty snore. She looked off to her right and saw a frail elderly man sleeping in a red recliner. He had thick brimmed glasses, a big nose, and drool hanging from his lips.

A whimper left her throat and she slowly made her way over to the elder, putting her hand to his knee. When she touched him, his snore peaked into a gasp, then fell back into a normal snore. She rolled her eyes and looked away, still wanting answers. "Where on earth am I? Or…_when_?" She recalled the time device and threw her hands to her head, groaning loudly. "That thing never worked! He said it didn't work! I don't under-" Her eyes widened and her arms slowly lowered, when the thing cracked, it showed a wire that she'd hooked to a metal hook near the button. Her hand flew to her mouth and she began to feel faint. _"No…I did it…that's why it didn't work…cause and effect." _She was learning all about cause and effect these days. Ever since she was a baby she'd practiced with it. Because you touch a butterfly, it will never fly again.

Her first experience with death, of course, was her actually catching one of the butterflies that she liked to chase. When it died, she was devastated, and she realized she probably killed it. _"I shouldn't have messed with that thing, I just thought it broke off when I picked it up. I didn't know…"_ She moaned and smacked her palm against her forehead multiple times. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Then the girl that had flown past her, she was wearing the _same outfit_ that she was! She froze and felt her heart screech to a halt.

If that was her birth mother, then she just sent her birth mother into the future, with absolutely no way back. Didn't Dee always tell her not to mess with things that she didn't know what they were? She groaned and continued her stupidity rant, smacking herself on her forehead until she heard voices nearby.

"What is she doing?" She stopped and looked back to see six babies nearby. One was a young bald headed baby with a blue shirt and a round face with remarkably familiar eyes. Beside him was a boy wearing a blue shirt with planet Saturn, he had red framed glasses, freckled cheeks, and messy carrot hair. Much like the carrot-top commercial guy that her family would laugh about. It was apparent this boy was the one who spoke, and he had a very nervous lisp in his speech. On either side of the two boys were twins, both wearing a green shirt with a yellow duck above the heart, ones was shaped like a dress while the others was a simple shirt. The female twin had her hair up like a ponytail at the top, while the male twin just had a little bit of spiked brown hair at the top of his head.

Next to the female twin was an Asian baby with spiky black hair in three ponytails. She was holding onto baby cart where a chubby looking baby with three long strands of hair curled out from his head. Were these the 'dumb babies' that the girl was upset about? She wanted to speak, but was far too nervous to say anything to them. These were people from her past, that much she understood. They had to be. She listened well to Tommy. Her mother was around here _somewhere_, unless that girl in the time stream _was_ her mother, and she was sure she was. In which case, these were people her mother knew, and knew well.

Then again, calling the girl her mother was somewhat troubling for her. After all, she _did_ give her away. Could she really call Bob and Amy her parents? She didn't know. She wanted to, but she was confused as to _who_ to call her mother.

As she stood there, staring at the group of babies, an awkward tension filled the air. Someone needed to speak, and _now_. Did they see her come in, or didn't they? They couldn't have, they weren't in the room when she arrived. The bald headed baby cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Angelica? Are you okay?" Her heart jumped to her throat and she quickly stepped back, shaking her head. "Angelica?"

"I-I uh…" _Angelica_. She _knew_ that name! From her earliest memory, she'd heard the name mentioned one time. Susie probably mentioned it, but she wasn't sure. This Angelica was the blonde girl. These babies thought _she_ was her mother! She halted and raised an eyebrow. Her mother was only four in 1999? Yes, she was not good with numbers, but she knew well enough to know the gap between her brother's birthday and her sister's birthday. Gabe was born in 1999, Teddy was born in 1995, they were four years apart. Now, assuming this is the case, that also means _Angelica_ is the same age as Teddy, and _now_ Teddy is only seventeen. In other words, her birth mother was _young_ when she had her! "Wow…uh…" She scratched her head and groaned. "What were we doing?"

She clenched her eyes shut and resisted the urge to run off. The last time she ran off, this stuff happened! "We were playing hide and seek," the boy answered skeptically. "You were _it_, Angelica? You didn't come looking for us, started screaming, so we came to see what was going on." So that was it? That's what happened? Now how could she tell them that she _wasn't_ Angelica?

She looked down at her clothes and narrowed her eyes, it did not help that she was wearing the same clothes. "Okay, so something happened…" Well she didn't want to keep referring to them as 'bald head' or 'carrot top', so she wanted their names. "First…what are all of your names again?" The babies grunted and looked at each other, all astonished. "And um…what are our uh…what are we to one another?" If these were her family, or well, her _mother's_ family, then she definitely wanted to get to know them.

The red haired boy groaned and stammered at the bald headed child. "You think she hit her head on something, Tommy?" She gasped and her eyes shot over to Tommy, the bald headed child. _Tommy?_ As in purple hair? This was _him?_ She was ecstatic! Without truly thinking, she rushed forward and put her hands on Tommy's shoulders, looking directly into his eyes. Tommy yelled out, but didn't move. "A-Angelica, you're not going to hurt T-Tommy?"

"Purple-hair! You're Gabe's science friend!" Tommy raised an eyebrow as Charlie laughed happily. "Maybe you can help me!" Tommy groaned and looked over at the others. "Please, you have to understand, it was a mistake…" This was the Tommy of the past, how was she to know if he even had that device? It was likely that he didn't, so right now, she probably would just sound crazy. "You won't believe me if I tell you what happened, but you have to help me Tommy! I don't know who you are, but I know-" Susie, Tommy mentioned _Susie_ to Gabe. Also Chuckie! "Susie…Chuckie…who are they, Tommy? Do you know?" Tommy and the others blinked and he took a step back.

"Um, Angelica, are you _sure_ you're okay?" He put his hand to his chest and sighed. "I'm your cousin…_Tommy_…and this is Chuckie…" Tommy put his hand onto the carrot-top boy. Charlie's heart jumped from her chest and she wanted to scream out for joy. Tommy started pointing to each individual baby, spouting off who they were, starting with the tiny child in the baby cart. "That's my brother Dil. That's Chuckie's sister, Kimi." He sighed, then pointed to the twins. "That's Phil and Lil." Tommy then turned to her and lifted his eyebrows curiously. "You're Angelica Pickles, and this is my home. Susie is our friend, she knows everything, and she's out in the back yard…"

"I have to see her!" She started to rush off, but stopped herself at the realization that she really had no clue where she was going. She chuckled nervously and looked back at the babies. "Um, do you mind showing me where that is?" How could she tell them she wasn't Angelica? How could she tell them that Angelica was her birth mother? She was about to, though only when she saw Susie.

"Uh, this way…" Tommy was unsure about everything going on, but he led her and the others out to the backyard. In the middle of the yard was a dark skinned girl with a long yellow dress, and three long braids. She was laughing happily and spinning with some pink ribbon, while a brown dog watched her curiously. Almost instantly, Charlie was able to tell that was the girl from her memory. Tommy walked up to her, tapping his index fingers together. "Uh Susie, we need some help. I think something's wrong with Angelica."

Susie stopped and looked over, full of concern. "What's the matter?" Susie moved over to her and started inspecting her, rubbing her chin. "She looks fine."

"Okay, that's enough," Charlie started impatiently. "I'm going to be honest with you here, I am _not_ Angelica." Susie raised an eyebrow and the others gasped in shock. "My name is Charlie….Charlotte Duncan, and I think Angelica…is my birth mother." Susie remained calm, slowly circling her and humming.

"Okay, so what happened exactly? If you're not Angelica…" She stopped walking and glanced down at Charlie's hand. "She's not holding Cynthia, where is Cynthia?"

"Who is Cynthia?" Susie's eyes sparkled and the babies began muttering with each other. Did she say something wrong? Was there some kind of trigger in regards to this Cynthia person? "I don't understand…who is Cynthia? Is she someone I need to talk to?"

"She didn't know who we were either," Phil stated. "In fact, she said something about someone named Gabe."

"Gabe is my older brother, the youngest. There's my mommy, daddy, PJ, Teddy, and Gabe. I know my birth mother from a memory, and Susie too. The memory of my birth, my birth mom was fourteen and crying next to Susie before I was given to my parents…" Susie tapped her chin while Tommy shrugged at her.

"Yeah I got nothing," Tommy replied. "I'm trying to make heads and tails of this, but I don't know what to say…she doesn't look like she hit her head, but this is…like another person."

Susie slowly nodded her head and began to pace. "So if you're actually Angelica's child, where is Angelica? Why are you here? How did you_ get _here?" Charlie started to smile, remembering Dee, as Susie greatly resembled her.

"Okay, starting off, my name is Charlie. Now, Gabe and Tommy…" Tommy raised his eyebrows as Charlie pointed to him. "New friend, I think, they were working on some science project together. There's this thing that Tommy said his dad invented, but never worked, and it was some sort of time thing that was set to go back to a person's mother. Tommy showed Gabe some sort of thing that put it back to 2009, well he dropped it and there was this thing that wasn't connected…long story short, I pressed it, and wound up here. A girl that looked just like me flew past me."

The group was stunned, and their mouths hung open like fish. Susie hummed and waited as Charlie tore the irritating purple bows in her hair out. She tossed them on the ground and sighed as her hair fell back against her chest. "Okay, so _Charlie_, do you have a way back?"

"No, I threw the thing away…but I need to find a way back! Can't you help me?"

"I don't know, but I think we can try…you said that Tommy said his dad invented the thing? Uncle Stu, he does spend a lot of his time in that basement…"

In _2012_, four year old Angelica Pickles rubbed her head and growled out her annoyance. "Where am I?" Lost, confused, and just plain irritable, she was in no mood to be messed with. Her mother hadn't been interested in spending any time with her, and her dad dropped her off with those babies yet _again_. All she had was Cynthia. She gasped and quickly looked down to make sure she still had her doll, and much to her pleasure, Cynthia was still in her hands.

When she lifted her head, she saw she was outside on some weird street. That hole that sucked her up had taken her by surprise, dragging her into it. She honestly thought she would die. She was aware the babies probably had nothing to do with what transpired, but that did not mean she wasn't ticked off! "When I find those dumb babies, they are in so much trouble…"

How could she find them if she didn't know where she was, though? She was a little afraid of this place, this area, and was truly wanting to get back home. "I heard screaming this way!" Someone cried out. Angelica quickly looked behind her and saw a purple haired boy running towards her from down the street. With him was another boy, and two girls. "There she is!" The purple haired boy exclaimed. He looked very familiar to her.

The girl passing her inside that thing, whatever it was, mentioned her being her birth mother. If this was the case, then had she been sent into the future? In which case, where two of the people running up to her _Tommy_ and _Susie_? She clicked her tongue and slowly brought her hand to her forehead.

She was beginning to get dizzy, and way too confused for her own good. Her head was pounding, and she was almost certain to hear thunder. The other boy grabbed her up and carried her off to the sidewalk. "Put me down, I said! Put me down!" The boy's jaw dropped and he stared down with confusion.

"What's gotten into you, Charlie?" Gabe looked over to a stop sign and groaned. "Tommy, your dad's invention…" It _was_ Tommy! Her eyes widened and her glare fell onto him while the darker skinned girl stared at her with interest. "It's broken."

"That's fine," Tommy replied, "I'm just glad your sister's safe."

"I wouldn't be too sure," the girl muttered. Angelica growled and struggled in the boy's arms until he finally put her down. She then ran up to Tommy and kicked him in the shins, causing him to yelp.

"This has to be your fault, you dumb baby! I don't know how, but I'm sure it is!" Tommy's eyes widened and he quickly glanced at the girl.

"Susie? What the hell?"

"That isn't Charlie…" Susie's eyes fell onto the doll in Angelica's hands, causing her to pull Cynthia protectively against her chest. She wasn't letting anybody touch Cynthia! Susie cleared her throat and brought her hand to her forehead. "I don't know how…but unless I've just gone insane, I think that's _Angelica."_ Tommy's jaw dropped and the other two people in the group merely exchanged anxious gazes.

"Yeah it's me," Angelica called out. "Someone mind telling me what's going on here?"

* * *

From here we'll see a lot of Angelica's perspective, some of Gabe's, and so forth. There's a lot you'll want to pay attention to as it goes along, because quite simply, there's a lot of explaining that happens throughout. Hope you're enjoying it so far, and a big shout out to everyone ^_^


	5. Extreme Danger

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N: So this is kind of something new I'm doing, a bit sci-fi kind of, not quite. Timey Winey stuff, haha. This idea was inspired by a misinterpreted youtube video, sure enough.

* * *

Chapter 5 (Extreme Danger)

Gabe was baffled, what had he just done? He'd just _lost_ his baby sister, but he wasn't exactly sure how. He couldn't tell his family this wasn't Charlie, but he didn't want to hide it from them. "What the hell are we going to do now?" Everyone was staring down in shock at the girl, tapping her foot impatiently and glaring at each of them. Tommy looked over towards the broken device and hurried to it, grabbing it up from the ground. "What is it, man?"

"This thing…I think your sister made it work." Gabe's heart slammed against his chest and Tommy quickly pulled out his cell phone. What was he doing now? Anxiety was beginning to rush through him as Jo put her hand to his shoulder. Angelica was still shaking her head and looking about the place. "I'm going to call Angelica…I need to figure out what's going on here…."

"I'm right _here_," Angelica muttered. Tommy rolled his eyes and shifted through his phone's contact list. Gabe peered down at the girl and began to pale. Was this Charlie's mother? The girl that gave Charlie to them? If the time device had really worked, then Charlie switched times with her mom, and her mom looked about four years old. He thought the whole 'being young' thing was just a story to make the whole exchange seem more troubling, but this right here proved the facts. "Why would you, wait a minute…that's a cell phone?" Angelica eyed the phone in Tommy's hand and raised an eyebrow. "The phone mommy uses is a lot bigger."

"Times have changed in the last…" Tommy's eyes moved upwards as he counted off mentally. "Thirteen years…" Susie's face fell and Angelica moved her gaze between the two. Gabe wondered what they meant exactly, _how much_ had changed? Tommy dialed the number and put the phone to his ear. After about a second, his face tensed, and he lowered the phone. "It says the number's not in service. This is bad…" Susie frowned as Tommy looked over to Gabe. "Do you know what this means? It means our Angelica, the one who should be our age…is ceasing to exist because _she's_ here." He poked a finger in the air towards Angelica, and Gabe began to grow incredibly disheartened at the fact.

"So what are you saying, exactly?" He kind of understood the basic ramifications of the time laws, but only through scientist speculations in the past from people who messed with the time streams. If Angelica, four years old, now lived in 2012, there was no need for the Angelica that was born in 1995 to exist. In which case, if _that_ Angelica truly ceased to exist, _Charlie_ would cease to exist. "Oh crap…" If _Charlie_ ceased to exist, then everyone's lives would begin to deteriorate. "We're all dead, aren't we?"

"Maybe not dead, but…nothing's going to be the same. We need to get Angelica back to her time, and Charlie back here. Otherwise, the world as we know it will no longer exist…but we'll all know a different world, a different time." That wouldn't be so bad, if not for the fact that he _liked_ his current life. "Anyway, it's hypothetical, but I need to tell Dad as soon as possible. He'll know more about it, _maybe_. I really don't know what's going to happen until we talk to him…"

"Uncle Stu?" Angelica asked with delight in her eyes. Tommy grunted and Susie slowly shook her head. "I want to see Uncle Stu! If this is…what, 2012? What's everyone like? Where's Mommy? Daddy? I want to know!" Tommy sucked in the air through his teeth, and Susie knelt down beside Angelica, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Right now isn't the best time, Angelica." Susie closed her eyes, exhaling carefully. "None of them are going to expect to see you at this age, and there's a lot that's changed…it's best that you _don't_ mix with them, best that you _don't _know. Right now, I think you need to remain with Gabe and his family…this is where…well this is where your daughter lives." Angelica's eyes started to grow as she quickly looked to the house across the street.

"So…this is really happening? Not a dream?"

"I'm afraid so." Angelica looked down at Cynthia and groaned. "We need to figure out exactly _when_ and _where_ you were, where Charlie's at, and then we have to find some way to fix this. Until then, stay with this family. I'll explain everything to you…" Gabe wasn't sure what he was going to tell his family at this point. He didn't want to alarm them, he knew they wouldn't believe him if he said that his sister just got sent back in time. Susie looked up at him and pressed her lips together, studying him for a moment. "It may be best the family doesn't know. So Angelica, try not to act like…_you_, don't give them any kind of sign that you're not Charlie." Angelica blinked a few times, brought her hand to her mouth, then stomped her foot on the ground. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, if that's my daughter, then why should I be worried? Why wouldn't she live with me!"

"I'll uh…explain everything, just…give me a couple minutes." A car was pulling up alongside the curb, and driving was an older man with purple hair and a stubbly chin. In the passenger's seat was a thin, red-haired teenager with square glasses. Tommy acknowledged them as both his father, and as Chuckie. Gabe noticed Angelica huff and quickly lean up against the car. He wanted to pull her from there, but still couldn't move. Jo stood beside him and took his hand, a very soothing action. When Stu and Chuckie stepped out, Tommy immediately rushed over to them.

"Dad we have a major problem." Stu raised an eyebrow and peered down at the shattered pieces of his age old invention. "You know that charm thing that you tried to make into a time machine?" Stu nodded and brought his hand to his chin.

"Yeah…never worked."

"Well hypothetically speaking, if it _did_ wind up working and switched a mom and daughter in their timelines, what would happen?" Stu raised an eyebrow and Gabe watched Chuckie slowly turn his gaze to Angelica. The girl had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot rapidly on the ground. "I know you're the inventor in the family, so…"

"Well, I don't have the blueprints to that device anymore, they got lost long ago. Or maybe I just misplaced them…" He peered down at the broken pieces in his son's hand and narrowed his eyes. Gabe understood this man would have to have studied the effects of this machine. He had to, otherwise he wouldn't have invented it. "I suppose there was that risk that it could swap the target relative, although it's not supposed to do that. Actually, it was never supposed to do that. I suppose if that happened…you would only have so long to get them back to their proper time, or the entire world will basically change."

"Change?" Gabe asked with uncertainty. He was still shaking, his palms were sweaty, and his heart cutting through his chest. He still couldn't fathom the change that might possibly occur. Stu looked over at him and nodded his head. "I mean, change how? Like…die?"

"Well, first, I need to let you know that it never worked, so the chances-"

"It worked," Tommy muttered. Stu froze and followed his son's gaze to Angelica. He began to stammer the moment he saw Cynthia in her hands. "I dropped it, the thing cracked, and Gabe's little sister must have hooked some wire inside that was separated. Either way…she's been switched with her birth mother in 1999. So this is Angelica, and I'd prefer to keep that under wraps for now…Then our Angelica, the one who should be seventeen right now, she's missing…"

"Interesting." Stu knelt before Angelica and put his hand to her head, studying her carefully. The girl scowled at him and looked away. "It makes sense that ours would just vanish, but seeing as how we still remember her…do you remember Angelica's daughter as well?" Gabe quickly confirmed this, questioning whether he could ever forget her. Stu slowly rose up and closed his eyes.

"I'm afraid you may not have a long time. You have to get Angelica and her daughter back to their proper timelines." He turned around to them and folded his arms across his chest. "I'll try to find the blueprints to that device, but they're over ten years old. If you start to forget Angelica, and if you start to forget her daughter, then you know it's starting to happen that the world is changing. It may not be instantaneous, I'm not sure how it works exactly, but I have a theory that when the girl in the past reaches a point of time where she existed in _this_ timestream…she'll die."

The color fled from Gabe as the man's words slammed the wind from his chest. _Charlie_? _Die_? No! He couldn't let that happen! He had to get his baby sister back! "Then what about Angelica?" Susie inquired. "If she's here…"

"Then everything that happened to her between 1999 to this day will cease to exist, they never happened. It's as if she perished on whatever day in 1999, and of course, randomly popped out here in thirteen years later at the same age as before." Stu moaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I never thought I'd have to actually start pulling my notes on time travel."

What were the chances of them saving Charlie? What were the chances of life getting back to normal? He wanted, _had_ to know. Even Angelica was on edge in regards to this. From what she was hearing, her 'daughter' was sent to the past and would die on the year of her given birth, fitting that she would die on the day and year that she was supposedly born in this timeline. Angelica took a step forward and pointed her finger up at the others.

"Okay, 'ssuming I have a daughter. Who was the one that decided to let her run in the streets and get in this situation? Even Jonathon isn't that inept!" Tommy, Stu, and Susie all cringed at the mention of that man, which startled Angelica. Stu frowned at her, his eyes went blank for a second, then he quickly turned to Tommy.

"You cannot let her see Drew. There are things that can't happen right now, things that could alter her." Angelica rolled her eyes and looked away. She may not understand time travel all that much, but from what she knew, her thoughts were probably already 'altered' as it was! She was in the middle of a future year, for crying out loud! "Keep her here, and Susie, I guess you can keep watch over her…Tommy, would you come with me? I'll try to help you figure out this time stuff…"

"I'm coming too!" Gabe exclaimed. "Adopted or not, Charlie's still my sister, and I'm the one that let this happen anyway…"

"Fair enough."

Angelica crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, glaring as the group piled into the car. Susie remained beside her, rubbing her neck. Then it dawned upon her. _Adopted_? Her 'daughter' was _adopted?_ She knew what adoption was, Kimi was practically adopted by Chaz and Chuckie! No, adoption was the act of giving a baby to another family. She froze, letting the realization sink in and rattle her.

"I-I…" She dropped her doll to the ground and slowly looked up to Susie. "I gave away my daughter?!" Susie flinched and glanced down at her.

"Oh? You uh…know what adoption is?"

"Know it? You're the one that explained it to me, Carmichael! One of your friends adopted a baby just recen…wait…" Angelica tapped her chin and Susie hummed thoughtfully. This was irritating, it couldn't have been _recently_. She needed to get used to this somehow!

"I think you're referring to Milton West…my neighbors back in early '99 adopted Milton. But yes, you had to…there was no other choice." Angelica muttered under her breath and moved her hand to her forehead. She couldn't be angry at herself for something she hadn't done yet, could she? "Listen, I'll explain it all to you, but you have to remember…everything needs to remain the way it's meant to be."

"I'm four years old, do you really think I'm going to remember this stuff in ten years?"

"You'd be surprised what you can remember…anyway, let's get you inside."

* * *

Your thoughts? Tommy's definitely not letting Angelica see the family in the future, there's good reason for it.


	6. Prisoner of Time

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N: So this is kind of something new I'm doing, a bit sci-fi kind of, not quite. Timey Winey stuff, haha. This idea was inspired by a misinterpreted youtube video, sure enough.

* * *

Chapter 6 (Prisoner of Time)

Seventeen year old Angelica slowly opened her eyes, startled to see herself suspended in air within a swirling purple vortex. She looked back and forth, trying to determine where exactly she was, but all she could see were giant walls that formed a dome above her and below her. It was as though she were trapped within a giant sphere. "Hello?" She called out. "Is anyone there!" Her heart began speeding up in her chest, and her body was numb. "Dad? Tommy? Susie? Anyone?"

She gazed down at her hands and began to panic, she could see directly through them. Was she dead? No, her heart's never-ending pounding confirmed her life. However, she wasn't too sure if she was alive either. It was as if she were in limbo. _Trapped!_ Her head was aching and her lungs began to shrivel as she continued her screams. No one could hear her? Her chest heaved in and out as she gazed all about, of course screams were no use. Why should she feel they were? _"Great, what did I do to get stuck in this odd place? Am I dreaming?"_

It wasn't a dream, but it wasn't real either. Suddenly, memories began hitting her like lightning, pumping various voltages of pain throughout her body. Her brain began to explode as the answers to her questions came to her. She was indeed in Limbo, and her body would soon fade from existence. Within this time stream, she could see two times, two eras, but could only watch as her soul was erased forever. After all, how could she exist, if her four year old self had been transported to 2012? What she was relying on was for Tommy Pickles and Gabe, the adoptive brother of her daughter, to get these time streams in proper position.

Should they do it, then her soul would leave this limbo, and no more would she be a prisoner of the time stream, doomed to watch her soul fading and to relive the memories of her past during her final moments. Unfortunately in this hell, it would be the most damning of memories that she'd be forced to relive. An effort from the time stream to force her to give up her soul at a much faster rate, and to hurry Charlotte's process through her own timeline. If everything was interconnected, then Charlotte and Angelica's past self was relying on her not to fade entirely, and she was relying upon Tommy and Gabe to recreate that damned time machine.

It never should have been created in the first place.

Her eyes moved to the back of her head and a moan left her lips. The time stream was currently throwing at her the memories of Spencer, a time that she would have truly regretted if not for her beautiful daughter. Sure she hadn't seen Charlotte personally, but Susie was that go-between person, and the Duncan family had been doing great. She would love to know her daughter, though. However, there was nothing in her that wanted Spencer to be around!

_Angelica sat alone at 13, curled up against the wall of the school and with her knees up against her chest. Tears left her eyes in quick, silent sobs, and her cell phone was going off nonstop. She didn't want to pick it up, she didn't want to tell anyone what she'd done or how ashamed she was. She could just imagine the looks on their faces, and the names people would call her at school, and it was terrifying! "I'm not a whore, I'm not…I…I'm not…"_

_ "Angelica?" Her head shot up and she quickly looked to the right, they'd found her! Susie, Kimi, and even the red-headed, chubby boy, Harold. That boy followed her around all the time, almost as her own personal assistant. Sometimes it was nice to see his clueless face. These three, along with Tommy and the rest, were the ones that told her Spencer was no good. Susie and Kimi walked over, kneeling beside her. Susie stretched out a hand and put it to her shoulder. "Are you okay? We've been looking everywhere for you."_

_ "I-I'm not okay. Spencer, he…" She put her head to her knees, her chest throbbed and ached from her lungs and heart crushing up against her. "I was sick of it, so I gave in Susie…I…I'm so ashamed!" She put her hands to her face and waited for Susie and Kimi to yell at her, and for even Harold to be disgusted with her. 'I just wanted him to shut up. He kept asking over and over." She was taken aback by her friends hugging her from either side, both holding her close. _

_ "It's okay," Kimi started out, "We're here for you." Spencer, like the guy Kimi had dated, 'Z', was horrendous. At least Z hadn't been so bad, but he did show warning signs of possibly one day becoming nuts, where Spencer already was. She continued her sobs and slowly looked up to Harold. He moved over to her, knelt before her and put his hand over hers. _

_ "That Spencer's just a jerk," Harold replied. His voice was slow and quiet, but his eyes were enraged. Enraged that anyone would put Angelica through this. Angelica knew the sex had been consensual, she did it only to get Spencer to shut up, and nothing more, but she hated it. _

_ "I consented…I just wanted him to leave it alone." She bowed her head and clenched her eyes shut. "Even after it, he looked at me and told me we 'should do it again'!" Her stomach twisted about, throwing her bile all through her body. She heard someone gasp and looked up to see Tommy and his friends, al looking at her with sorrow, and anger. "T-Tommy…I didn't want to, I just wanted it to be over." She wiped her tears, hating herself in this moment, and hating that now they all _knew_ what happened! Not like they wouldn't know anyway._

Angelica opened her eyes, moaning as her soul flickered. Her heart was strong, and determination filled her. "No, it's not that easy. I don't _want_ to disappear!" She looked to the purple dome wall in front of her and saw several images appear. In 1999, Charlotte was walking around with the babies. In 2012, her past self was trying to make heads and tails of everything going on. Then, there was Tommy, trying to help his dad find the missing blueprints to the time device.

"You will not get out of here," A voice replied with a sinister laugh. Angelica raised an eyebrow and huffed. Who was talking? There was nobody else here! "I cannot see those images you're seeing, the time stream is doing all that. I have loaded the time stream with so many painful memories…all the ones that would make your soul wish to vanish." Was this in her head? She clenched her teeth and balled up her fists, angry at this voice. Where was this intense rage coming from, and why did the voice sound so familiar? "The sooner you vanish, the sooner all of those people in your life forget about you, and time _changes_ to a world without you. The sooner you vanish, the better. Your past self will remain in 2012, stuck forever, and your daughter will be doomed to die…"

"What?" Her heart jumped to her throat as she turned her anxious gaze onto Charlotte. No, she already determined she'd do anything to prevent this from happening. "I'm not vanishing, Time Stream…not at all!"

"I'm afraid you have no choice. The longer your past self remains in the future for me to find…the more time you have to vanish away. There's more to what is happening than what your cousin's device was…so much more…it did the job for me. I, however, have placed your soul within the time stream."

"W-Who are you? Who are you, and what do you want!"

"For _you_ to be gone from this world. I call this a little time invention of my own, and my revenge, of course. That, and a little spell book that I retrieved during my years…locked up…"

"Revenge?"

"Yes, you see, that device that transported your daughter back wasn't supposed to work. _I_ helped in its original creation, but purposely kept that hook separated. It was just a coincidence that Charlotte fixed it and was sent back, but _that_ wasn't supposed to bring your past self back. Oh no, I watched the exchange, I timed it right by reading the spell from that book…_I_ pulled your past self back into this world and threw you into the dimension in." Angelica's eyes widened as the sweat poured down her neck. Someone was really out to get her, then? "Either you fade from existence by giving up your soul, or your past self remains trapped in this era, thus ending your current life altogether."

She grunted and curled at the intense pain shooting through her body. What was it that hurt? She opened one eye and clenched her teeth. "W- What are you trying to achieve by all this?"

"By your past self being in the present era…_you_ will never have been. In other words, I would never have been found out when your mother died. _I_ would never have gone to prison, and _I_ would have been a free man! This is my opportunity to change things! The only thing that it means is…well…Charlie may never make it back here, and therefore she'll only perish when she grows and meets the exact day of her birth. So not my problem." She gasped and screamed out at the voice, trying to dissuade it.

"Shut up! You won't get me. You won't. Charlie either, she didn't do anything to you! She's innocent! Tommy and Gabe, they'll get her back, I know they will!" There wasn't enough despair in the world to make her give up. Sure, she had a hellish life after Spencer, but she knew who cared about her. These people made all the difference in the world. Even her mother, so special and beautiful. She didn't need that plastic surgery. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of her mom, taken too soon from the world. She was _everything_ to her, _everything_. She was a good mother, a workaholic yes, but still a good mother, and Angelica wanted to be just as good a mother. "Maybe if she had still been alive…she would have told me to keep the baby…"

_"Angelica? Baby, I'm here." Angelica felt the bed shift and looked up from her seated position to find her mom sitting beside her. The woman wrapped one arm around her back and held her close as Angelica's tears drenched her mother's shoulders. "What does it say, baby?" _

_ "W-What am I going to do, Mom? I didn't want this to happen…not to me…it shouldn't happen to girls like me." She'd finally broken it off with Spencer, or well, he broke it off with her. He was 'done' with her. This enraged everyone, and nearly sent both Harold and Tommy into a mad rage to kick his ass. Kimi and Susie had to really be held back, and it was actually Susie's cousin Ivy that helped to hold her back. _

_ "First, breathe." Her mom moved her hand over to her own hands and squeezed it gently. She inhaled slowly and waited as her mother brought a tissue up to her face with her free hand. She closed her eyes and let the tears be wiped from her face. "Now bear in mind, you are a strong and vigilant young girl. I've always been proud of you, sweetheart, and what happened here doesn't make you any less of an angel to me, or to your family. Understand?"_

_ "I think so. I just…I don't know what to do. I'm pregnant, Mom. I'm pregnant! Everyone at school is going to know! I'm going to be the school's whore!" She dropped the pregnancy test from her hands and brought her fingers to her face, bawling. "Oh god!" Her mother hugged her close with both hands and lightly kissed her forehead._

_ "I love you baby, just remember that. Your family loves you, and your friends will understand. The ones that matter, the ones that are important will know. What is important for you to understand…you are _not_ a whore, you are my daughter. You'll get through this, and remember, you have a beautiful baby that will be growing inside of you. A baby is a blessing, you were a blessing to both your father and I." Angelica wiped her eyes and sniffled._

_ "Jonathan didn't think I was." It was a poor attempt at a joke, but it did get her mother to smirk a bit. She hugged her and sighed. "I love you, Mom."_

_ Several months later was the nightmare, the family was on a trip to some ski resort, and staying in a cabin that she did not want to leave. Outside, it was frigid as hell. She was not actually enjoying herself, considering the cold temperatures. Every time she went outside, she felt like frostbite would settle in within seconds. _

_ The wind was howling, and the snow was hitting the windows. Her father had gone to the lifts, but would be home any minute now as he'd been gone for a couple hours. Her mother had stepped outside for something, she wasn't exactly sure what._

_ Angelica slowly walked towards the back window, gazing out with an anxious gaze. She could see white as far as the eye went, but could barely make out her mother's image. She was with someone else, someone that looked a lot like Jonathon. Was it him? She squinted and panic stabbed at her. What was there to be afraid of? _

_ "Jonathan had been fired, so why is he…" Her eyes shot up with fear when her mom started running. Then, it happened, the shot that shattered her entire world. The bang echoed and struck her like two cymbals crashing together. Her mother dropped to her knees, and Angelica screamed out in terror. "Mommy!" She ran for the door, seeing her father standing in the doorway, and nearly tackled him. He soon ran after her, following her around the cabin just in time to see Jonathan running away. _

_ Angelica ran to her mother's body and put her arms around her, screaming. "Please, Mom, don't die!" Her father froze in place, slowly falling to his knees and staring at his wife's body with an empty gaze. "Mom, wake up, I need you! Mom!" _

Angelica's body trembled and began to fade just a whisker. She clenched her teeth and growled as she fought the memory from her head. She returned her gaze to the image of Tommy and Gabe searching the house for that blueprint. "Come on guys, I'm relying on you…" Her gaze moved to Charlotte's image, and a whimper left her lips. _"I might not remember all of this later, but the one thing I know I want…to see you…"_

How much longer would she be trapped here, fighting away the painful memories that made her wish to die? Stuck, forever a prisoner of the time stream. Whoever put her soul here, she had to know. It wasn't a matter like Tommy and Gabe came up with, but close to it. The voice within the time stream had stated quite simply that _he_ put her in this place. A past self could encounter a future self just fine, the time swap had not been what threw her in here. That, was something much more sinister, and something that she did not fully comprehend.

Even if her past self, and Charlie were returned to their proper time slots, she could likely still be trapped here by the person who cursed her to be here.

* * *

A lot was discovered here, so please do tell me of your observations.


	7. Learning the Future

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 7 (Learning the Future)

An unsettling feeling swept over Angelica as she entered the Duncan house with Susie. She looked up to the pictures on the wall and pulled her lips back, seeing the family with the little blonde girl that was apparently her child in the future. Already she knew she was going to need to investigate this place. "Susie-" She could _not_ get used to them all being older than her now. "-Is all this going to affect me if I go back to my own timeline?"

"I don't think so, but we'll see," Susie replied. Yes, because how on earth could a four year old girl remember any of this stuff? She moved over to the couch and climbed up. Susie moved beside her. She folded her arms and leaned back, shutting her eyes and sighing heavily. Was she still friends with Susie in this timeline? Did they still know Phil and Lil? What was going on with her mom and dad, or even Jonathon?

More importantly, why was her child with a family she didn't recognize? Whose bright idea was this? She looked down to Cynthia and slowly brushed the doll's hair. "Susie. Are we still friends? Did I do something wrong and lose my own baby?" Susie smiled at her and shook her head.

"No Angelica. It's a very complicated situation, and you're only four, so…" She didn't want to hear this age talk, she could understand whatever someone told her if they explained it well enough. "Charlie, or _Charlotte_…" Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly looked up. "You named her after your mother, that was the only thing you wanted, to leave something of yourself behind with her. The issue was, you were only fourteen…the guy that got you pregnant was someone named Spencer Walsh, and he's the father." Her eyebrows lifted up and her jaw dropped. How could she wind up having a child at fourteen? She knew how young that was! "The uh…he pressured you into…doing um…" _Come on Susie_. She rolled her eyes once more and dipped her head into her hand. She knew what sex was, she heard it enough on the playground with the older children.

"You don't need to shelter me, I know what s-e-x is…" Susie raised an eyebrow and chuckled once. "Mommy told me I shouldn't talk about something like that, but that it's something I'd learn about when I was much older…the one thing she did tell me was my 'body is my own', and I should never let anyone take advantage of that."

"She's right, and you've always followed her advice to a fault." Angelica beamed with pride, but still it hung in the back of her mind that she would have ever let something like this happen. It wasn't something that would damage her too much, because she was just young enough to try not to focus on it. All she knew was some guy named Spencer was the father of her child. "Now Spencer was and is a bit of a…what's the word I'm looking for?" Susie started snapping her fingers, groaning with annoyance. Angelica let her eyes drift to the kitchen doors, then back, knowing she couldn't simply leave right now. "He's not a good guy at all, Angelica."

"So he's bad people?"

"Yes. Bad people…You kept a pretty strong front in telling him no, then finally just caved in to get him to stop. Of course _I, _and just about everyone _else_ you know, told you to break up with jerk!" Susie smacked her hand in the air and Angelica's heart clenched inside her. She felt a stabbing sensation in her belly. Sure she didn't often listen to the babies, but when it came to those kinds of decisions, she would think that she would have listened. "But regardless, circumstances didn't allow you to be able to raise a baby on your own, and…your only option was to give her up." Angelica bowed her head and clenched her eyes shut, feeling an extreme amount of guilt.

"Why do I feel bad about that?" She pat her hand over her heart and looked up to Susie for answers. She was just a kid, she shouldn't feel bad about something in the future that was this serious. Susie smiled at her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Because past or future, you still have your maternal instinct. In this timeline, you were devastated over having to give up your child for adoption. Though, so devastated that you're afraid to bother coming over here…I'm the one that intervenes because my cousin happens to be best friends with the family." Angelica's eyes dropped for a brisk second. She didn't even _visit_ her daughter? What kind of mother was she turning out to be? "But anyway, that's what happened in regards to your baby. You and your dad just simply couldn't do it." She and her dad? What about her _mother_? Honestly, anytime she brought up her mother, the people around her just put it off, refusing to explain anything. Did something bad happen, it seemed like it.

"So what I'm getting is, I became a pregnant teenager, gave my baby to another family, and…I _still_ don't know anything about my own mother." Judging by the fact that no one was talking about the woman, and her daughter was named after her, it seemed very likely that her mother was _dead_ in the future. Her breath caught in her throat and her hands flew to her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh no, please tell me my mommy isn't…I want my mommy and daddy, Susie. I want them!" This was breaking her heart. Screw the ramifications of seeing them! This was the future, there was nothing she could do in the future that would affect her.

"I'm sorry Angelica, and it's for your own benefit. You have to understand the importance of keeping this time stream the way it is. If something's wrong, who knows where everyone's going to wind up…" She didn't worry too much about all of that. She understood the importance just fine, and she was also counting on Tommy and Gabe to get her back to the past, and bring her daughter back here. "If you know certain things, you'll be inclined to change once you get back there."

"What if I don't like what I see? What if there's something that I see that I could change when I get older? For example, what if I decided to keep the baby the second time?"

"Well then…" Susie closed her eyes and brushed her hands against her knees, sighing heavily. "I don't know, but I do know this family would be a lot different, and very unhappy." Angelica frowned. Her brows meshed together and her arms folded across her chest. A part of her didn't want that to happen, but a part of her also still held the selfish bone in her, but once again, Susie was making her feel bad about her selfishness. As always. It was hard to believe Susie was _still_ good at doing that! "When you gave birth, Mrs. Duncan here gave birth to a baby of her own. That baby was stillborn."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the baby was dead upon birth, Angelica…" Angelica's heart crashed in despair and her jaw fell open. "You heard her cries in the next room, and I was with you. I was…the only one there…but beside that, my cousin was with the family. She told me what happened, and that's when you decided they would make a good family for your daughter. They could, and have, taken care of Charlie and given her a much better life than what you could give her at the time…their adopting Charlie saved them…and I'll be honest, not a day goes by that you don't tell me how glad you are that they're doing well and your daughter is too." Angelica slowly nodded her head and gazed down at Cynthia. Maybe it was best that she didn't go back home and try to change that aspect. Same for the birth father, as much as she didn't like it.

"So, I get the importance of that." She also paid attention to the whole discussion of the time issue, and truly she didn't want anything bad to happen to Charlie. "I don't want anything to happen to Charlie. If she doesn't come back into this time…it'll be like she never existed?"

"Yeah. Apparently. Memories will change, surroundings may change…and then you being here…I imagine that'll upset your parents as they realize Charlie isn't their daughter. I don't know what'll happen to everyone, but only because I've never lived in a world where you didn't exist. I'm sure nobody wants to imagine that, especially not Tommy and the others."

"Yeah…I guess Uncle Stu shouldn't have been an inventor, huh?" Susie laughed and Angelica's lips turned up into a smile. She was beginning to get accustomed to this older version of Susie, as difficult as it was. "Nobody knows how much time they have to fix it?"

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure it won't be a long time." Susie pulled her phone from her pocket and shifted down the contact list, wincing painfully. "I still remember everything about you over all these years, but you…because _you're_ here, your older self is gone. Where? I don't know….Tommy and Gabe are going to have to go to the exact day and place that Charlie entered, and switch you two out right there. You may or may not remember everything, but Charlie shouldn't…if anything happens."

"The day? I think I have that…" Susie raised an eyebrow as Angelica looked down at her dress. "I was wearing my Sunday clothes."

"Makes sense, I guess. It's Sunday today. Though today is September 16, 2012." Angelica clapped her hands together and shook her head.

"I don't think it was September, schools weren't open yet. Anyway, the babies had pulled me into a game of hide and seek while you were out in the backyard…" That didn't give a lot of information, she knew that, but maybe there would be something crucial that would pinpoint the day. "Church was over, the pastor was talking about the school week starting the _next_ week."

"Okay, so August, but I don't remember when the schools started up back then."

"Um I remember another thing, it was a few days before that, Thursday I think, one of your relatives just passed away."

"My relative?" Susie's eyes widened and her muscles tensed up. Angelica felt remorse for bringing up the issue so soon, but at the same time, the concept of time was escaping her. "My Nan-Nan, she passed in 1999. She was one hundred years old. August 12th, 1999, she went in her sleep. That Sunday at church, the pastor talked about her."

"Oh yeah, there was that today!" Angelica pumped her hand in the air, overjoyed that they finally made some sort of connection. Of course, she still felt bad about bringing it up. "Today the pastor talked about the life she had and the impact she had on our community, how she loved walks on the beach, flowers, and loved everyone in her family." Susie's eyes started to water, and she reached over, hugging Angelica. "What? I'm sorry…I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"No you didn't, it's not that, it's just…it's been thirteen years, I hardly remember that, and I can hardly remember Nan-Nan. So I appreciate it." Angelica smiled at her and blushed.

"Aw, it's nothing…she was always fun to visit at the nursing home."

"Right. So." Susie sat up and started wiping her eyes with her shirt sleeve. "So August 15th, 1999. Sometime in the afternoon, probably close to three, because I remember we stayed late."

"We did. We stayed at the church until two, went to have lunch with your family, and then they decided to drop you off at Uncle Stu's with me. The last I looked at a clock, back there, it was 3:25."

"Great! I can tell that to Tommy. They can use it." Angelica smiled at her and nodded her head. Now came the questions in regards to where Susie lived, and what she could do. Did she come around often?

"So, if I have to stay here…what about you? Do you stay here, or…"

"No Angelica, I have to be with my family. Cousin Ivy comes over a lot, though, but you can't tell even her who you really are." Not like anyone would believe a four-year old girl, anyway. She wouldn't talk, not at this time. "I guess I'll try and come around more often." Susie slowly rose up from the couch, tapping her hand against her left thigh. "By the way, that guy that is also the father of the child? He's dating Teddy now."

"Teddy?"

"The family here…you have Mr. and Mrs. Duncan. Bob and Amy. You've got the kids…PJ, Teddy, Gabe, Charlie, and Toby. Each of them, except Toby, who is a baby, and of course Charlie…the other kids are all dating someone. PJ's dating Skyler, and they're very much in love, from what Ivy tells me. Teddy's dating Spencer, but he actually cheated on her…"

"Cheated? What does that mean?"

"It means he wasn't loyal to her, and he basically did to her what he did to you, or will do to you. He was dating someone else at the same time…" Angelica slowly nodded, understanding what this issue meant. "And then the girl that was with Gabe, that is Jo, _his_ girlfriend."

"Okay…"

"So, do you think you can handle it from here? I need to run and tell Tommy about the date you were in."

"I think so…" She really didn't want to be left alone, but at least it left her with time to explore. Not only that, but she wanted to make sure she got to know this family. She gave Susie one last hug and watched as she left the house. Her heart was racing now, and her palms were sweaty. _"I think it just hit me…"_ If Tommy and Gabe didn't fix this problem, she was in for a lot of trouble.

* * *

So what are your thoughts as you read this? What observations do you have?


	8. Exploring the Family

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 8 (Exploring the Family)

Angelica started off her exploration by walking about the living room, trying to calm herself down. She was in no mood to be hyper, and was half expecting Tommy, or the twins, or even Chuckie, all baby aged, to pop out and yell 'surprise!' Unfortunately, confirmation came in the form of turning on the television and seeing a news story stating clearly _September 15, 2012_. She didn't want to believe it, she _couldn't_ believe it, but she had to believe it. This was the future, and it was finally setting in on her.

How a four year old handles going into the future, she didn't know at all. What she did know was quite simply, she hated the future. She hated not being back in the past, she hated not being able to be annoyed by those crazy babies, and above all else, she hated knowing that when she entered her teenage years, some punk would get her pregnant. She, of course, had no control over whether or not this would happen, and she had to let it sink in that she was to _allow_ it to happen in the future! She didn't want her future daughter to disappear or never exist, regardless of whether or not she was in the future.

"Can't blame those dumb babies," she muttered beneath her breath. "Seriously though, pop out and tell me this is all a dream. Pop out and tell me something fell on my head. Tell me you threw a rattle at me so I can get angry at you. For the love of…" She pinched the bridge of her nose and sank deeper into the couch. She felt Cynthia fall against her lap and looked down at her. She wondered why it was she didn't simply leave Cynthia with baby Charlie, such a sentimental memento to her future self. Surely she would have given her daughter the doll! "I guess it was hard enough parting with one child…"

It was through Cynthia that she had gained early stages of her maternal behavior. Cynthia, and the babies. As much grief as she'd given Tommy and the others, she cared so deeply for them that she would die if she lost them. She'd go crazy! So she did look after them, she cared for every last one of them and couldn't simply part ways. Cynthia also was like her own child, and she cared for her as such, so it wasn't so far-fetched to think she'd be giving up two children at once. "My mommy could never do that with me…I wonder why she didn't tell me no…"

Just as she thought the question, a very curious news story came on the screen. She focused on the man in the picture and lifted her eyebrows up. _"Looks like Jonathon."_ The man was apparently released from prison and now getting a job as an assistant to some prosecuting lawyer's family. In fact, the man in the photo looked extremely like Jonathon. She glanced over her shoulder, humming to herself, then looked back to the screen, listening intently as the reporter spoke on the story.

_Convicted of taking the life of Megacorp Inc. CEO executive Charlotte Pickles in February of 2009, John Mally has been released for good behavior. In 2009, Mr. Mally had been fired by the hard-nosed CEO for negligence. He retaliated weeks later, following the family to a ski resort, where Mrs. Pickles body was found in the snow behind the cabin. She was found by her daughter and beloved husband. Coroner's report indicated a .35 caliber bullet lodged in the upper vertebra, shattering bits of her spinal cord. The bullet had been traced to Mr. Mally, who promptly confessed to his involvement in her death._

Angelica's eyes were wide, and full of terror. Her mother _was_ dead? No, this couldn't be! Her heart was racing as she jumped off the bed and flipped the television off. She sank to the ground and moved her arms around her waist, weeping into her knees. She couldn't validate that her mother was alive, at least not in this time, and she so desperately wanted to see her. This was a _nightmare!_ "M-Mom….Mom's not gone, she can't be. I just _saw_ my mommy." She lifted her head and let out a confused whimper. Her mother wasn't dead in _1999_, sure. With this knowledge, it was too difficult to resist the urge to try and change it when she went back.

She could understand leaving the whole thing with Spencer alone, making sure Charlie came to this family, but her _mother_? She didn't want this to be true, she couldn't let it be true! Not only that, but Jonathon would _never _take her life. Would he? "Not real, none of this is…it c-can't be…" Her breathing grew heavy and labored as she attempted to fight the rising fear inside her. Then there was the thought that if she vanished in 1999, what would that mean for her mother? She would still be taken? Her dad would be alone then. Her father was a fragile man, she knew, he would never survive!

She couldn't do this, there was no _way_ she could do this. She heard a noise coming from the upstairs area and quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "O-Okay Angelica, suck it up…this isn't _your_ reality." Yes it was, who was she kidding? This was in every possible way her reality. Just because it hadn't happened yet didn't mean it wasn't going to happen in the future, and she couldn't do a thing about it.

No matter, it was try to see what the members of this family were like. She grabbed Cynthia off the couch and walked towards the stairs, debating whether to go up or down. She had a feeling that she ought to head downstairs and find out what was going on.

She descended the steps halfway and sat down, putting her chin in her hands and gazing at a blue couch with a boy and girl. Judging by the photos on the wall of the house, and what Susie had said, she could guess the girl was Teddy. The boy had his arm around her shoulders, they were watching television, and Teddy was looking nervously to the side while sitting uncomfortably positioned away from him.

"Don't ask again," Teddy muttered, "Just watch the show…"

"The show's boring. I just want to know why you won't do it, that's all."

"I've _told_ you. Besides, ask any girl my age, most aren't going to want to do something like that." Spencer's head fell on the back of the couch and he lifted his shoulders up. Angelica glared at him with narrow eyes, pushing down the bile rising up her throat.

"It's a normal human act, not that bad. Actually, even the animals do it, they don't have to worry about it. Besides, most people are apprehensive the first time…" Angelica rolled her eyes and scoffed. Of course, he would know, wouldn't he now? Did Teddy even realize he was Charlie's dad? Chances were slim, Susie would have mentioned that knowledge. "I can guarantee-"

"If you want to keep dating me, you'll not finish that statement."

"Okay fine, sorry…" Angelica chuckled and started down the steps, watching as Spencer withdrew his arm and Teddy crossed her arms over her chest. When Teddy looked over, her eyes went wide. "Charlie? I didn't know you were down here." Ignoring Teddy for the moment, she walked up to Spencer and stared with burning intensity into his eyes.

Spencer raised an eyebrow and slowly stood up. "Is something wrong, Charlie?" He asked. She smirked deviously, then delivered a sharp kick into his right leg, causing him to exclaim in agony. Teddy threw her hand over her mouth, but didn't seem to react negatively. Spencer grabbed his leg and bit his lip, hopping in place. Instinctively, Angelica sent her foot crashing into his next leg. "Why!" He screamed and fell towards the floor, leaving her feeling very satisfied.

"I have my reasons." She spun around and started for the stairs, not even wondering if Teddy was looking at her. In her mind, Spencer deserved those kicks, if not something much more painful. It didn't take much to see how he would have tired her future self out to the point where she just cracked in order to get him to shut up. _"Eh, I may end up doing worse in the future…pretty sure Susie has…"_

Angelica carefully made her way up the steps and turned her gaze to the right where an older blonde boy was walking with a beautiful woman. She put her hand to her chin and tilted her head, _"This must be PJ and Skyler."_ She walked forward and flashed a toothy grin. "Hi PJ! You leaving?" PJ looked down at her with a smile and slowly nodded his head.

"Skyler and I are going out, then we're heading to my apartment to hang with Emmett. So I'll see you later, little sis." Emmett? Must be a friend of his. Apparently he didn't live there either, so perhaps that was one less thing to worry about. She hugged his leg and looked up to him with a swift nod.

"Have a good time PJ." She watched her 'brother' walk off hand in hand with his girlfriend, then took a deep breath. How on earth was she supposed to do this? How did Charlie act with her own family? There had to be _something_, she couldn't just pretend to be someone and not know how to be that person!

A putrid stench gripped her nose, causing her senses to spike up to nauseating levels. Her eyes widened and she quickly turned towards what appeared to be a master bedroom. _"I think my baby alarm's going off…"_ There was another sibling Susie mentioned, wasn't there? She wasn't alone here! Yes! She skipped towards the bedroom to find the mother and father both lying on the bed, cuddling beneath the blankets. Immediately to her right was a crib with a half-lidded bald baby. "Aha!"

The baby lifted his head from his pillow and stared at her with a raised eyebrow. This had to be Toby, she was sure of it! She bounced over to the crib and put her hands up to the top, peering inside with a mixture of happiness and sorrow. The fact of the matter was, she missed Tommy. She missed Chuckie, the Twins, Dil, Phil, Lil, and even Kimi. To see Toby was the one thing in this entire day that was actually managing to make her _smile_. "Hey," Toby started. "So…who are you?"

"What? What do you mean?" Did he immediately see through her? Seriously? Toby lifted his hand and pointed to Cynthia.

"I know my sister. She can't _stand_ to be in the same room after I toot. Plus, she doesn't own a doll like that, never has, and never carries around dolls." Angelica chuckled nervously and moved the doll behind her back. This kid was reminding her a little of Tommy, the baby seemed to know what he was talking about! "There's absolutely no way Charlie would come back in here…so I don't know why you look like her."

"Truth?" Angelica looked back at the snoring parents, then over to Toby, bringing her voice to a whisper. "I'm kind of having trouble wrapping my mind around all this myself, but I really don't want to be alone…my name is Angelica, and I think…I think I'm Charlie's birth mother. Somehow, we got switched in time." Honestly, it gave a whole new meaning to the term 'switched at birth'. "But you can't tell _anyone_."

"I'm not even a year old, I can only talk in baby-talk. Who _exactly _am I going to tell? The dog?"

"You have a dog?" She bounced on her heels, hoping so much for there to be an animal to remind her of Spike. Toby's mouth turned up in a wide, toothless laugh. Suddenly her heart sank and her eyes narrowed. "There is no dog…is there…"

"Yep."

"Hah. Very funny. Dumb baby…" Toby laughed once and Angelica turned her back to him, crossing her arms over. "Fine, don't be helpful."

"I'll help. Not sure what to think, but I'll do what I can. I know my sis better than anyone…You wouldn't _believe_ the late night talks we have." Angelica raised an eyebrow and chuckled to herself. How appropriate, her daughter's closest confidante ends up being a bald headed baby. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

So Angelica knows about what happened to her mom, what are your thoughts this chapter?


	9. Taking a Stand

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 9 (Taking a Stand)

Gabe watched Tommy and Stu fumble through all of the boxes in the basement, still uncertain about what was going on. He was depressed, but frightened at the same time. Where were those blueprints? How on earth would he get his sister back? What was he doing, though, just standing around? He needed to take charge on this situation, it was _Charlie_ that was missing after all! Angelica as well, but he didn't understand the whole situation.

After all the searching, Stu stopped and scratched his head. "One thing I don't understand," Stu muttered, "The device wasn't supposed to bring the person in the past into the future. It was tested, once, it worked once, but then it didn't…" Wasn't there a wire inside? Stu moaned and beat his hand against his head as Tommy and Chuckie moved to him. Gabe put a hand to his chin and tried to think about what he could do in this situation without just standing idly by. He heard Tommy ask how it stopped working and lifted his eyes as the older man pounded a closed fist into his palm. "Ah! I didn't work on it alone, the person that helped create it had a lot of time alone with it."

"Really?"

"Yeah…" Stu began to frown and moved his hand behind his head. "Now I know where those blueprints are…my partner." Gabe raised an eyebrow, his stomach began to flip as he imagined Charlie alone and lost in unfamiliar territory. He clenched his hands and stepped forward, refusing to sit by any longer. The others looked over at him as the fire burned in his eyes. He _had_ to know how to fix this problem, and fast.

"Who was your partner?" He asked. "Who helped make it?"

"That's the problem…" He chuckled nervously and looked over to Tommy. "It was Jonathon." Tommy gasped out and Chuckie's hands flew to his mouth. Gabe remained unfazed, but only because he didn't know who Jonathon was. Before he could say anything, Tommy questioned his father, lacing his tone with anger, asking how he could work with such a man. "It was years ago, before we know how he-"

"Okay someone fill me in here." The group froze and looked over at him. He held up an index finger and narrowed his eyes. "I'm sick of being lost. From what I understand, my _sister_ was teleported into _your_ time through a machine that shouldn't even _work_, and your friend from the past is here in the present, and...who the _hell_ is Jonathan?" He heard someone clear their throat and turned around to see Susie walking down into the basement, her arms crossed and eyebrows bouncing up and down.

"Let's start off simple," Susie began. "Charlie isn't just your sister, and Angelica isn't just their friend. Angelica is Tommy's cousin, Charlotte is Angelica's daughter, and Jonathan is the man that murdered Angelica's mother…who Charlie is named after." Gabe's jaw dropped to the floor as the girl brushed her ponytail over her shoulder. "Angelica is _my_ best friend. Ivy is my cousin."

"Okay…and who is Angelica's birth father? Not only that, but…"

Sparing no blows, the man's name rolled right off her tongue. Even Tommy and Chuckie were cringing with hate. "Spencer Walsh." His heart thumped to a halt and his body began shaking. _Spencer?_ As in, _Teddy's_ boyfriend? "Also, he pressured Angelica into having sex, she gave in after a while…she wanted to raise her baby, but she knew she couldn't. She gave Charlie to your family. Now, I would like my friend back, I'd like Charlie back as much as you, and I'm sure the past Angelica would prefer to be back in _her_ own timeline as well."

"Holy…" He shook his head, scratching his hair in agitation. "Okay, anyway, I get that this Jonathan guy is a creep. A bad guy and all, but if he helped with the device, we need to find him! We have to figure a way around this thing." It was heavy news that he was hearing, and it was difficult to process. The situation was dire, but not hopeless. "I'm going to take a lucky guess and say Mr. Pickles doesn't have the blueprints. Do we know where Jonathan is now, or is he still in prison?" Susie growled, and Tommy folded his arms over. Chuckie shuffled his nervous gaze between the two and scratched his hair. Angry that nothing was being done, Gabe threw his hands down and slammed his foot on the floor. "Come _on!_ This is family we're talking about here, we need to get moving!"

"I think I know where he's at," Chuckie replied. The others looked over to him and he lifted his shoulders up. "I was checking out the news before, and well, I know that he was released and sent to work as an assistant for a Lawyer. The onlyproblem is…it's Spencer Walsh's dad."

Gabe smacked his forehead and groaned. "Just perfect." Spencer or no, it had to be dealt with. As much as he wanted to mangle the guy right now, and he probably would do exactly that the next time he saw the man, he needed to take count of his priorities. "Okay then, we'll check this place out and we'll talk to Jonathan. If he has those blueprints, he'll _have_ to hand them over!"

An hour later, they were at the house. There was no sign of anyone there besides Mrs. Walsh, and she was asleep. Jonathan was standing before them, his hands on his hip, and his eyebrow rising to meet his blonde curls hanging before his forehead. His foot was tapping on the ground impatiently and his lip was twisted into a sinister curl. Tommy and Susie were hanging back on the other side of the couch, trying not to tackle the guy and slaughter him. Stu remained behind Gabe, also holding back from tearing apart the man that took away his sister-in-law and destroyed his own brother. Chuckie actually went back to his family's shop to deal with his work shift.

"No," Jonathan responded with a cold chill in his voice. "Absolutely not, there is no chance that _I_ would help any of you." Gabe was appalled by how heartless this man was! Rage surged through his veins as he took a violent step forward and burned his glare into Jonathan's chest. The man's deadly, unfeeling eyes shot past him and burned down into Stu. "Yes I made the invention work, and it _did_ work, however during its creation…I purposely undid that hook and welded it shut. It was unfortunate that the baby cracked the thing and put that hook together. It wasn't _supposed_ to work, it was a dumb toy…why would _I_ want to make something of _yours_ work, you no-good hack?"

"How can you be so _heartless?"_ Gabe quipped. He poked his finger into the man's chest, seething with anger. "Even my neighbor isn't as heartless as you! A little girl, _two_ actually, have been taken from where they belong because of this device! The least you could do is tell us how to rebuild it and get them home!"

"The least I can do?" Jonathan mocked him with a laugh, raising his hands up in the air and walking around him. "No, only one person would have been transported by that device, the user going back in time. Angelica should _never_ have been swapped." Gabe's eyes widened and he quickly looked to the others for answers, but they appeared just as baffled as he was. "Perhaps there was another force that brought her to the present, but I can tell you this much…" He stopped before an end table and looked back over his shoulder, grinning widely. "If you don't return her to the past, the Angelica that you all know…will cease to exist, and the time flow will change."

Tommy was the first to react, yelling angrily at the man before speaking in a low, sinister voice. "You'd _like_ that, wouldn't you?" Tommy started for the man, ignoring Stu's requests for his son to stay back. "You know what would happen if that took place…you wouldn't have been caught for what you did to Aunt Charlotte!" Tommy lifted an angry fist, and Jonathan simply smirked, raising his eyebrows and preparing for a strike.

Instinctively, Gabe reached up and grabbed Tommy's wrist. He knew what would happen should Tommy strike this man, he'd get into even more trouble. After all, striking the man that murdered a family member was more problematic than just bare battery alone. Tommy protested him, but he held tight. "It's not worth it, Tommy," Gabe insisted. "I know he's a scumbag, but it's really not worth it. You could get into a lot of trouble just by talking to him."

"I don't _care_. He ruined our family! Aunt Charlotte might still be here if it wasn't for him, Uncle Drew wouldn't be as manic depressive as he is! Now this scumbag won't tell us how to get my cousins back?!" Cousins? Plural? Gabe's heart pounded as he turned his sorry gaze towards Jonathan. It was truly hitting him now, Charlie _was_ a part of their family as well.

Tommy screamed out and pulled away from him, but turned back from Jonathan. Jonathan tapped his finger on his chin and smirked coyly. "You know, the present day Angelica wouldn't even vanish if her past self were to come here. When I created that device, I tested it by sending myself into the future…and I met my future self…of course the future self I met was the one that was still working for that infernal woman…but no matter, my point is, the present Angelica _should_ still be there. Perhaps there's something _else_ at work here. Sure, she'd fade away in time if her past self isn't returned to the past…but perhaps she got caught up by something evil."

"Eviler than _you?"_ Tommy scowled at the man and folded his arms across his chest. "I swear, if something happens to Angelica-"

"You'd never _know_. Know why? Because if the present Angelica fades, thus changing all of your memories to a time when Angelica went missing-in 1999, might I add-then that's all you're going to remember." Tommy flinched and Gabe's heart dropped into the dark pit growing inside of him. How could he hate a man so much that he'd never met before? This was a first, but he wanted to tear this man's head from his body for some reason. "Your best bet, if you _really_ want to save them, is to create another time machine like that device…and return Angelica and Charlie to their proper times. However, present Angelica may still be trapped wherever she is…" Jonathan smirked at them and narrowed his eyes. His evil breath could be felt from across the room. "Either way, Angelica will die."

Tommy started to charge for him, but Gabe quickly grabbed him away with Susie and Stu. "Let me go! Let me at him! I swear I'm going to get him for this! Not Angelica! Not my cousin! Aunt Charlotte was bad enough, I won't let him hurt Angelica or Charlie! I swear it!"

"Who said _I_ did anything?" Jonathan laughed. Gabe clenched his eyes shut and continued walking outside, stopping in the middle of the front lawn. He moved his hand over his chest and groaned as Tommy fell onto hands and knees, grasping angrily onto the blades of grass.

"He did something. I don't know what, but I feel like he's responsible for _something_…"

"Then we have no choice," Gabe put his hand to Tommy's shoulder and slowly breathed in. He was attempting to calm down and resist the urge to charge back in there and tear Jonathan's throat out. "We have to try and recreate that device." No simple task. "Then, we're going to find out what he meant, and how this time's Angelica really vanished, and find a way to bring her back." He wasn't going to rest until everything was said and done. There wasn't any time to rest on their laurels now. "We can do this, but it's going to take some hard work…"

* * *

Enter the Antag! Good thing Gabe was there to pull Tommy back from doing some real damage, right? Must be quite a bit of history behind those dusty evil eyes of Jonathan. What are your thoughts on this chapter?


	10. Rules of Time

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 10 (Rules of Time)

Charlie walked with the group of babies, still lost and confused, but steadily feeling better about her current predicament. No one had picked her up just yet, so no one seemed to wonder who she was. Assuming she looked like her birth mother, then she may as well pretend to be her. Tommy being her mother's cousin, which made him _her_ cousin, was fantastic! They didn't ask her anything about the future, probably because they didn't want to, or they didn't think she'd know that much, given her age. What they _were_ doing was telling her a lot about her birth mom, which made her extremely happy.

"Angelica might boss us around sometimes, but she's really not that bad," Tommy said with a smile. "I bet she would love to meet you." Charlie bowed her head for the moment, holding back on some of her own tears. She still didn't understand the whole purpose of adoption, or why things were the way they were. She wanted to know why she couldn't be with her mother, and that was the one thing these babies couldn't tell her. "I think it's strange that she'd have a baby and would give her away, don't you, Chuckie?"

"Something really bad must have happened," Chuckie replied, gasping in shock. He put his hands over his mouth and whined. "Oh no, poor Angelica." Charlie raised an eyebrow at him and Tommy slowly shook his head. Susie laughed and put her hand to Charlie's shoulder.

"I know Angelica," Susie withdrew her hand and continued walking with her. Tommy followed close behind, leaving the others to fend for themselves. "Seeing as how she takes so much pride in Cynthia, I believe she would make a loving mommy in the future. Obviously I don't know what happens, but I'm sure she wouldn't just give you to another family without a good reason."

"She might make bad decisions," Tommy remarked, "But she really cares for all of us." If there was one thing she wanted to take from all of this, she wanted at least to remember some of it. She probably wouldn't, but one could dream. "Since you're back here in the past, does that mean things might change later?" She hadn't really thought about all that, to be honest.

"My brothers watch a lot of television, and I know there are some time shows they watch." Charlie tapped her chin and hummed. "I've heard something called 'butterfly effect', but I don't know what it means exactly." Susie jumped and raised her right hand, catching Charlie's attention, startling her. "You know what it means, Miss Susie?" She liked to say 'Miss Susie' because to her, Charlie remembered her as a grown woman and her birth mom's friend.

"I heard that term used in regards to something my sister watched. It means that there's a chance if you go back into time and step on a butterfly, it could send some rifting effect throughout the future!" She extended her arms up and Charlie's eyebrows rose curiously. Her heart began racing as she pondered this statement. If you change the smallest thing, it could create disastrous changes to the future. Tommy stopped walking at that, and stammered at Susie.

"Does that mean the future's going to be different now?" Tommy fidgeted and Charlie's heart began to drop. A good point, considering she was here and her birth mom was where _she_ needed to be. In this case, why was she still alive? She could at least understand how severe it was that her birth mother was not around to give birth to her in 2009.

She heard two older voices enter the room and glanced up to see a blue haired man and another man with curly blonde hair. The two were speaking about some sort of project they were working on, though the blonde gave her a really bad vibe. "Who are they?" Tommy smiled and pointed at the two men.

"That's my daddy, and my Aunt's assistant." By Aunt, he must have meant Angelica's mother. In which case, her birth grandma! Maybe the assistant would take her to see the woman. Tommy pointed to the blue haired man, further detailing just which of the two men was his father. "The blonde is Jonathan, he works for your mom's mom."

"He scares me. I don't trust him." Tommy chuckled and insisted that Jonathan wasn't a bad guy, just stressed out. His reassurance wasn't all that comforting to her even still, considering the look in the man's eyes lacked patience and seemed full of exhausted anger. She rubbed her arm and looked over to Tommy and Susie. "I'm not sure. I mean, my instinct's never been wrong before, but…"

"I wonder," Susie tapped her chin and looked up to Jonathan and Stu, "My Nan-Nan used to always say, before she passed…If something doesn't feel right to you, don't ignore the feeling. If you're so sure that Jonathan scares you, there must be a reason." There was a reason, and she was slowly realizing it.

"I think…" Everything had gone by so quickly that she almost missed it, but she knew him from before. She'd _seen_ him. In the car at the stop sign, Jonathan was sitting there, book in hand, watching her being chased by the older guys. A soft gasp left her lips and she slowly stepped back. "I _saw_ him. He was there when the time thing opened up. He was reading some sort of book, his lips were moving also, but no one was with him…" The device worked though, so that was what sent her back. What was Jonathan doing, then? "Was he responsible for something?"

"I wouldn't know," Tommy answered, "I've never seen him do anything bad." Maybe he _wasn't_ bad, in the past. Maybe he became bad, she didn't know. The feeling inside of her told her to run, to stay away from Jonathan. "Let's see what he and Dad are talking about…"

They were holding a round object, one that was familiar to Charlie. It was the device! "Come on Jonathan, why won't you let me hold on to it?" Stu asked with a begging whimper. Jonathan huffed and pocketed the object. "I could make some touches to the design."

"No! It is fine as it is," the man responded. "I would like to work further on it, but alone. I have the blueprints, I will give it to you later, but as a toy. I'm welding it shut."

"Aw, but why, I want to go back and see my mother."

"Fine…maybe I'll let it work." Jonathan peered down at the device and narrowed his eyes. "I can tell you everything about this, it is not a mere _toy_, Pickles. You have to be responsible with it. There's no risk to anyone in the past, no chance of them coming to the future or anything, but if you go to the past…be careful what you do. If you go back in time, you risk changing the way things are in the future. I've only traveled in time once before, but I don't dare mess with it."

"So you _do_ know how it works!"

"Yes, but not with this device…other times I've invented machines for time travel, they wound up being destroyed when I've returned to the present. It's a cruel thing, really." This man knew about time travel? Charlie was intrigued! Maybe he could get her back to her real time. She wanted to ask his help, but at the same time, there was that deep sensation in her gut that told her to stay away from him. She didn't want to _die_, in the _past_. In other words, _before she was born!_

"So what happens if your device breaks down before you return to the present?" Stu was rubbing his upper lip and frowning at the invention. His eyes held a deep longing, a passion to continue working on the invention and to improve it, to make it work. He reached for it, but Jonathan swiped his hand behind his back and narrowed his eyes.

"If you get stuck in the past, I'm not sure, but I assume nothing will happen to you and you'll just age. Unless something happens to your parent, of course…If your parent dies before you were born, then you will continue aging until you reach the day and year of your birth, in which you will die when you reach the exact hour of your birth. If someone who was born on July 12th, 1986 at ten A.M. goes into the past and remains after something happens to their parent, they will die at ten a.m. on July 12th, 1986."

Charlotte froze and cupped her hand over her mouth. Suddenly the entire world grew bleak. Tommy and Susie put their hands on her shoulders, understanding the scenario, as they all knew the situation. A lump formed in her throat, her hands grew clammy, and fear gripped her like the devil's hand at her throat. If Angelica wasn't returned to the present, that meant she would never be born, in which case, if she aged until 2009, she would most certainly _die._ She began to whimper as Jonathan's cold, unfeeling eyes moved towards her.

"All right kid, your mother wants you home, so…" He had a nonchalant tone and a posture that seemed to state he cared absolutely nothing for her. Was this the man that was trusted with her mother? Seriously? She took a shaky step backwards as Jonathan raised an eyebrow her way. "What? It's time to go, so let's move. I have no mood for shenanigans…I'd rather not lose my job thanks to you. God knows that wench would love to do me in."

"Don't talk about grandma that way," she whispered. She didn't want to scream it out to where he would understand that she wasn't Angelica. At the same time, she knew she couldn't attempt to change the past, so she'd have to go with him, but she desperately wanted to run the other way. She leaned in towards Susie, still whispering. "If I run, how badly do you think that will affect the future? You know, _my_ time?" Susie shrugged her shoulders and looked over to Tommy.

"I know one thing," Tommy started, "From how you talked about your brother, and then there's myself…sounds like everyone would do whatever it takes to get you back. So in other words, you'll be safe in the long run, I'm sure of it." Charlotte cleared her throat and slowly stepped forward, trusting Tommy to his words. Gabe would come for her, she knew he would. He may be tough, but inside, he had a good heart. She clasped her hands at her waist and spoke with a sweet tone in her voice.

"How do you know so much about time travel?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow and scoffed. Stu also questioned it, the man had no choice but to answer.

"I've tested some of my inventions, but mostly with lab rats. I used to be a scientist before I got stuck working for this kid's mother. Got laid off, fired for my 'strange' experiments." Ah, so he was the mad scientist type? Was this like the Frankenstein movies that Gabe watched? Horror movies terrified her, to be honest, but never when she watched with her family. With family, she knew she'd be safe. Just like now, she wanted to stay with Tommy and her Grand-Uncle, Stu, because she felt _safe_ with them.

"Can Uncle Stu or Tommy come with us?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow and began grumbling. "Pretty please, I promise to be good?" Hopefully there was nothing so crucial that them coming along would change anything in the future. Though, she was _sure_ her being here and her birth mom being gone, already would begin making changes to the future and altering the things that people remembered.

"Fine, I'm sure Charlotte would enjoy seeing her nephew." Charlie looked over to Tommy and frowned, he had his eyes closed and appeared to be snoozing. Though, his face was twitching. After a few seconds, Tommy opened his eyes and shook his head.

"Whoa…" Susie put her hand to Tommy's shoulder, asking if he was alright. He nodded and smiled back, then moved up next to Charlie. "I'd love to go. Also, I'm not exactly sure what just happened Charlie, but I think I had a daydream…Angelica was a lot older and I think she wanted me to stay with you or something, so…not sure what it means."

Charlie was ecstatic to have her cousin by her side, to where she knew nothing bad would happen to her. She turned back to Jonathan and bounced happily. "Okay! We're ready!"

"All right fine, let's go then. I'll just ask Didi and see if she wants Tommy along with you." She could see in Tommy's eyes, there was no way he was leaving her now. She didn't quite understand where that was coming from, but she was glad for it. Maybe her mother was somewhere, wanting to protect her. With someone like Jonathan, she could imagine why that would be the case.

As the men walked off, Charlie turned to the others and held her hands out in question. "How often does my b-mom hang around here?"

"Pretty often," Susie keenly replied, "Her mom's almost always working, and Drew tends to be on business trips also, so this is usually the place to be."

"Oh…" Well, she hoped at least she'd be able to see her B-Grandma. She wanted to get to know the woman, especially considering she had a feeling she might not get the chance later.

* * *

What do you think of this chapter? Some explanation, Jonathan in the past already seems to be a scheming bastard, wouldn't you think? Present-day Angelica can't do much in that bubble, but you do see she has some sort of influence, albeit a tiny bit.


	11. Angelica's Brush with Danger

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 11 (Angelica's Brush with Danger)

Angelica walked tirelessly through the Duncan home, still bored to tears. Everyone was gone, the parents had gone off to the store and let Mrs. Dabney come over to watch her. The elder woman was now asleep on the couch, leaving her the only one still awake in the entire house. "I need something to do," she grumbled. She knew Teddy had left to go hang with Ivy for a while, which she assumed was because of Spencer. Spencer himself was still in the basement, waiting for his family's assistant to swing by and pick him up. The assistant _insisted_ on coming over.

Of course, Angelica figured out how to lock the basement door, so Spencer was stuck. She was at least able to have fun messing with that guy.

When she heard the sound of a car pulling up to the curb, she ran for the window and gazed out. Her eyes lit up with shock as none other than _Jonathan_ left the vehicle. The man had a slick grin on his face and empty, but deadly orbs in place of his eyes. "Oh no," she breathed out and felt her internal alarm system going off. She looked over to the elder sitting on the couch and groaned. If she alerted Mrs. Dabney, would she give away that she wasn't Charlie? Charlie wouldn't know who Jonathan was, she wouldn't even know he was potentially dangerous. She wasn't sure how she knew he was dangerous, other than seeing the news report on her own mother's _future death_. Point being, she couldn't let him in the house.

When she looked back to the window, he was gone. Everything grew still and silent, with only the beating of her heart to provide the music. Her eyes shifted around the glossy window and her brow meshed together. She couldn't be scared of this man. No, she wasn't. She'd handled him before, but that was in the _past_, before he went _nuts_ and killed her mother.

Just as she thought on her mom, anger flourished through her. This man, how dare he take her mother from this world! She didn't know exactly what he did, but far be it from her to let him get away with it. Instinctively she ran for Mrs. Dabney's leopard spotted purse and began fumbling through it until she found a canister of hairspray. Her eyebrow rose as she stared at the can, then back to the snoring elder.

"I don't think she needs all that hairspray in her purse…" She quickly ran for the door and grabbed the knob. Her face tensed as she fingered the cool knob. Would Jonathan realize it was her? Was she in any imminent danger? If she was, she had to protect herself. If she wasn't, then surely she could just let Spencer out so Jonathan could take him home. Though, it was curious why someone who could clearly drive himself needed the assistant to pick him up.

She carefully opened the door and stepped outside, looking around for Jonathan, but not seeing him. "Looking for me?" A voice asked from behind. She stiffened and slowly looked over her shoulder. Jonathan was standing before her, smirking widely and folding his arms across his chest. Past him, she could see the backdoor was wide open. She swallowed hard and tightened her grip on the canister behind her. "Don't be afraid of me, _Angelica_. I only want to take you home, I can help get you back to your own time."

"I don't trust you!" She pointed an accusing finger towards him and scowled. "I don't know how or why, but I saw the television! You killed my mommy!" Jonathan's eyes widened and he moved a black-gloved hand to his mouth, gasping softly. "I'll never go with you! Never! Why should I trust you? You're a bad person!"

"Hmph, maybe so…but I've changed my ways." He spread his hands out like wings and kept his cold, smug expression. A nauseating feeling crept over her and she slowly narrowed her glare, ready to attack him. "You see, I saw you come to this timeline, and I feel for you. I want to return you to your mother. As far as your mother goes…you can't believe everything you see on television, she's alive and well, waiting for you."

Her heart fluttered for a moment, and she almost believed him, leaning forward as he reached out for her. She blinked several times and growled. "No!" He closed his arms to grab her, but she slid in between his legs, causing him to stumble forward in the air. She turned to face him and pointed at him once more. "I might be a kid, but I'm not naïve! That might have worked before, but I'll _never_ trust you! Never! I'll find my own way back!" Jonathan put a hand to his face and began laughing. This surprised Angelica and forced her into silence as she gazed at the man. "What is so _funny_?"

"Oh you little girl, there is so much you don't understand." Jonathan turned to her and slowly grinned. He cracked his neck from side to side and stood straight, stretching his back. "You want the truth? Here's the truth. I brought you to the future with a little spell book of mine. You see…yes, I killed your mother, and I went to prison for it. Worst years of my life, _however_, I only went because you caught me."

"Knew you were no good…" So _he_ brought her back? That device didn't? She narrowed her eyes and growled. "You sent Charlie back then?"

"No my dear, my time device was never _meant_ to work. She broke it open somehow and connected the wiring that I purposely left blank. I won't bore you with all the technical talk, but all _I _wanted to do was pull you back. That moment was just a coincidental, but opportune moment to do so. Simply, I can literally kill two birds with one stone. Destroying _you_ means that your spawn will never exist either…just remember, brat, you're dealing with an adult. You don't want to cross me, so if you're smart, you'll come with me…" He leaned forward and turned his greasy lips up. Her heart was racing, pumping adrenaline throughout her body. She growled and narrowed her eyes, no way was she running or going with him.

"Just…because…I am a kid again in this time, _doesn't mean_ that you get to talk down to me!" She threw her right arm forward and pressed down on the hairspray canister, spraying into his eyes. He screamed and fell back, putting his hands to his eyes.

"Oh god that burns!" Angelica turned around and started running for the basement door. "Damn it, brat." Instinctively, she turned away from the door and charged up the stairs to the second floor. She ran for the main bedroom and grabbed a bunch of toys from Toby's crib. She ran back out and stepped on the top step, watching as Jonathan gripped the railing and made his way up. He stared at her and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell…are you doing?"

"Nah-nah, you can't catch me!" An antic of hers, a game she used to play on him in the _past_ years. Maybe it would still work on his older self. If he hadn't changed much, then he would simply get angrier and angrier until he was completely exhausted from chasing her and finally gave in. He chuckled and spoke again with his condescending attitude.

"How cute. That brings back so many memories…do you know it won't matter if you go back to your timeline? I'll still destroy you. Why? Because when I brought you back with that spell, it also trapped your present self in a time bubble." She froze, reaching for a toy truck in her arms. What did he mean? She, or well, her present self, was trapped? He smirked at her and took one step more. She slowly gripped the truck and narrowed her eyes. "Yes Angelica, either way I gain my freedom or revenge. If you vanish and die here as a four year old, then you never exist to finger me for the death of your mother…and I never get caught…if you get sent back, your present self is still trapped in a time bubble for all eternity. Face it, no matter what happens…I win."

"No you won't!" She released her rage by throwing the toys down at him. Jonathan's eyes widened as he put his forearm up to block himself. His grunts increased the more she pelted him, and eventually he started to stumble back. Her eyes moved over to the snoring elder, how on earth could she _sleep_ through all of this? Finally, Jonathan let go of the handrail and fell back down the stairs, shouting angrily as he hit the floor.

Angelica charged down the steps, but gasped as she started to fall towards the ground. When she looked back, Jonathan was smirking at her again while grasping onto her left ankle. She gasped and reeled her right knee up. "Bad idea, Jonathan…" This was not much of a surprise or difference to her, and it almost always ended the same. She kicked her foot back, slamming it against his forehead. Normally she aimed for his hand, but this time, she wanted to do as much damage to him as possible. He screamed out and released his hold, letting her jump up and run for Mrs. Dabney. She immediately began shaking her, trying to rouse her. "Wake up! Come on, wake up! You're supposed to be watching me! Watch me! Ugh…I can't believe this family would just leave my daughter with you."

Perhaps the woman wasn't usually this way, maybe she was more reliable and insistent on taking care of Charlie. Only, today of all days, she had to choose to sleep! Angelica looked over to see Jonathan slowly picking himself up, growling angrily. "You…little brat…I should know all of your tricks."

"It's been so long, how could you know _any_ of my 'tricks', Jonathan?" Jonathan's chest was heaving in and out, and his right eye was beginning to twitch. She closed her hands and remained confident, still smarter than he was giving her credit for. "The people here don't know _me_, they know Charlie. So right now, if this lady wakes up, she'll only see you as a creepy man trying to kidnap the Duncan's baby. You'll go right back to jail, and I'm not above pushing her off this couch if it makes her wake." She probably couldn't push a woman her size, but she could sure try. "Plus, Spencer's locked up in the basement, probably hearing all this going on. If Charlie suddenly disappears, he's going to know you might have been here. I think we also know who the birth mother is..." Jonathan clenched his teeth and growled under his breath.

"Damn you…fine, you get a pass _this_ time. Mark my words, Angelica…I _will_ get you."

"Good luck. You're going to wish you never brought me back here!"

Within minutes, she'd let Spencer out and the two had left the house. Angelica was finally able to relax, and curled up on the couch beside Mrs. Dabney, closing her eyes. She was glad Jonathan was gone now, but understood the danger that she was now facing. He _knew_ she was here, he _knew _where she was. Though, she was no stranger to danger, she could take him if she had to. Not only that, but realizing he had some sort of book and had to do with the creation of that device, then _maybe_ she could find a way to locate that book and the papers for that device. Thus begged the question, did she dare go into the belly of the beast? Even if it meant saving her future daughter?

* * *

Seems a close call she had. Your thoughts?


	12. Determination

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 12 (Determination)

Now that Spencer and Jonathan were gone, Angelica was _not_ letting Mrs. Dabney get away with sleeping through the whole ordeal. If it wasn't her, if it were Charlie, who _knows_ if the girl could handle herself with a man like Jonathan after her! She stepped in front of the snoring woman, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor and holding her knuckles against her hips. She cleared her throat, and still the woman slept. With only agitation growing within her, she reached from deep within her chest and let out a giant exclamation.

"Wake _up!"_ The woman's eyes flew open and she gasped loudly, putting her hand to her chest. She stared down at Angelica, her lips parted and her eyes dilated. Angelica's face was red with anger and her body was still throbbing from the panic of having had to deal with Jonathan. "How could you sleep while you're supposed to be looking after me? What's the deal? Spencer was locked in the basement, and a crazy man was in the house!" The woman's eyes widened even further as Angelica's tone increased. "No need for alarm, he's gone now because Spencer dealt with it, but you should be _awake!" _Susie's sister did a better job babysitting than this woman did! "At least my grandpa isn't such a hard sleeper, he'll wake up, but there was a very near dangerous situation and you weren't waking up!"

"Oh Charlie…" Mrs. Dabney leaned forward and put her hands in between her knees. She was still startled that such a young girl could talk to her in that way, but she likely knew better than to scold a kid that wasn't hers. Angelica was _furious_ though! Jonathan could have killed her, he most certainly _wanted_ to! "I'm so sorry Charlie." The woman began looking around the house. "Is everything okay? Do you know if the man did anything bad?"

"It was just a scare, but it was enough of one. Sorry for yelling, I just…I don't know what got into me." She was probably talking more than Charlie often did, and she could tell from the baffled expression on the woman's face that she was indeed saying more than her fair share. She'd seen enough of this house, she wanted to get out and do more. She _wanted_ to find her dad. Sure, Tommy and Susie both said she shouldn't be allowed to do such a thing, but she couldn't help the desire. She put her hands together at her waist and smiled sweetly. "Can you do something for me?"

"What is that, sweetie?"

"Take me to see a friend of daddy's. I'm _so_ bored." The woman lifted her eyebrows and scratched her head. "I'm not exactly sure where he lives, but he should be in the phone book. Drew Pickles…"

"I'm not sure honey, I'd have to talk to your father first." Angelica put her hand to her forehead and groaned. What could she do now? She had to think of something. She truly wanted to see her father. Just as she was about to say something, the doorbell rang. She groaned and watched Mrs. Dabney hurry to the door and answer it. Much to her surprise, standing at the door was Chuckie and his sister, Kimi, who looked much more mature than she remembered. Her black hair was in two afro-like pigtails, she had a very olive shaped face like her mother, and gentle eyes. "May I help you?"

"We're friends of Gabe's," Chuckie said with a smile. "I'm Chuckie Finster, and this is my sister, Kimi."

"Gabe's not home right now, but I'm sure he'll be back soon…would you like to wait for him?"

"Yes, thank you." Kimi smiled happily at Angelica as the elder led her and her brother into the home. Angelica was _not_ thrilled that they just intervened into her going for her father. It was as if they knew what she was going to do. She understood why everyone wanted her staying away from her family, in order to avoid being so traumatized. Yet, she already was aware of everything going on, so what did it matter? Mrs. Dabney moved back to the couch and Angelica hurried over to the stairs, sitting down angrily, irritated with the Finsters. They just _had_ to butt in. Even _now!_ Was she cursed?

The two moved over to her. Her angry glare shot to them and her lips curved into a scowl. "I don't need you to protect me, I'm doing just fine by myself! You want to make yourselves useful? Go help Tommy get Charlie back here!" Kimi cooed over her and put her palms together in front of her face.

"Aw you were right Chuckie, it really _is_ her." Angelica raised an eyebrow and let a low growl flow from her throat. "Oh Angelica, I'm sure Tommy and Gabe will find a way to get you and Charlie back in the right places…I only wanted to come see if Chuckie was telling the truth." She wondered if she could become any further peeved than she already was, but just by hearing Kimi cooing over her, she didn't think it was possible to be any more annoyed than she already was.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about me. I was _trying _to get to my dad before you two showed up!"

"You can't," Chuckie said with a small frown. She glared at him and Chuckie quickly lifted his hands, defensively. "It's not a matter of him being home, it's-"

"I know, I know, you're just trying to protect me. Whatever-"

"More than that," Kimi replied. She bowed her head and folded her hands over onto her waist. Angelica sensed a deep sorrow from the siblings and pulled her lips into a frown. What was the problem? Why were they wanting her to stay away _so badly_. What was so bad about the truth that they had to hide it from her! "Drew is in the hospital Angelica. It's…it's something that I think even you, at your age, wouldn't understand. Just…he's been depressed since your mother…his health has been failing him, and…" Kimi's eyes started to glaze over. Angelica was frozen in shock. How was she supposed to respond? How on earth was she supposed to react to this? Her dad was in the hospital?

"Well what happened to him?" Kimi turned her gaze away, a sign that she'd better not further press the subject. Apparently it was too much for them to actually tell her, and in that case, she _knew_ it was bad. She felt Kimi's hand on her shoulder and slowly looked away from her. She hated being in the future, it was too hard for her, too stressful. "I want to go back to my own time. It was easy then. Now I know bad stuff is happening, and I_ hate _it."

"I'm sorry you're going through so much. I mean, you never _should_ have to go through this. _You _aren't supposed to be dealing with all of this. Back when we were all babies, you were the top of the food chain, so to speak. You were boss. Happy, carefree, and that's the way it should have been. You're too young to experience all the traumas and troubles that your _older_ self experienced." Angelica wrapped her arms around her knees and glanced down, letting a tear fall from her eyes. It was hard to be tough anymore, more so than she ever wanted. She hated knowing her fate, she hated knowing the future, and she _hated_ being unable to change anything!

"At least tell me…how my older self was handling all these things." She felt a shimmer of hope when Kimi smiled. Perhaps she could be satisfied if she knew how well she coped and adapted when older. "Well?"

"You're strong when you get older. Bull-headed." What did that mean? Confusion painted her face and Kimi laughed. "That means stubborn, determined, never giving up…you never let anything get you down. Even when Spencer pushed you into doing what he did…even throughout pregnancy, through your mom's passing, you remained strong. Not even Savanna could bring you down!" Her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks began to turn bright red. After a few seconds, she paused and tilted her head to the right.

"Who is Savanna?" Chuckie smirked as Kimi looked dumbfounded. She put her hand to her forehead and laughed.

"Right. Savanna is this really popular high-society girl at school. She started out against you until you managed to join in with the popular crowd, though she still is a bit on the line when it comes to you. She's actually the one who introduced you and Spencer…" Angelica lowered her legs onto the steps and crossed her arms, grumbling under her breath.

"Spencer…I kicked him earlier!" Kimi and Chuckie laughed again, then promptly congratulated her. This was the first time she got _praised_ for hitting someone. She glowed! After a bit of internal cheering, her excitement faltered and Jonathan came to mind. "I know what Jonathan did, Kimi…" Kim's lips turned into that of an oval, and Angelica bowed her head. "I saw the news. He works for Spencer's family now…"

"Oh Angelica." Kimi hugged her close and let her own tears fall down her cheeks. "I'm sorry." Angelica pulled away and wiped her eyes with her arm.

"It's okay. Anyway…he was _here_." Chuckie and Kimi gasped and exchanged frightened glances. "He tried to take me away, but he didn't. He told me…he told me that while that device thingy was responsible for Charlie going back…he was responsible for me coming here. He was responsible for my future self's disappearance. Even if I go back and Charlie comes back here…my future self will still be trapped in some sort of 'time bubble' thing…"

"Oh no!" Kimi looked over to Chuckie and grabbed his shirt. "We have to let Tommy know!" Angelica felt the sweat dripping down her forehead and moved her back against the steps, spreading her arms out with a loud groan. This truly was too much for her. She was despairing over her father, over the daughter she hadn't had yet, even though she _had_, and the apparent father of her future child was what older kids called a 'slimeball'. She moved her hands over her eyes and shook her head.

"Why? Why can't this all just be one bad dream? I'll wake up, you two will be young again, and I'll be able to actually laugh at something stupid that you do. I'll grow up, Jonathan won't be dangerous, and I can go back to being care-free. Right?"

Chuckie and Kimi frowned at her and started to hug her. The front door flew open and Gabe walked in with Tommy and Susie. "Hey guys, you got here first?" Tommy marveled. How would Tommy react to Jonathan's being here? She didn't really know how he was in the future, and she knew family meant the world to her, so if a man Tommy had known all his life had murdered his Aunt? Surely he would be angry. "Okay we have a problem. A little bit ago we tried to get the blueprints for that device from Jonathan, but he wouldn't give them up. We now have to do this from scratch!"

"From_ scratch?!"_ Angelica hopped up from the stairs and flailed her arms in the air. "You know how important this is! That could take _forever_, and none of us have forever. Angie doesn't have forever! Charlie doesn't have forever! Also, yes, I called my future self _Angie_, I'm sick of saying future self! Also, I can't even see my own dad because _apparently_ he's in the hospital…I saw on the news that my mom's old assistant was responsible for _her death_, is there _anything else_ you have left that will traumatize me? Or is this future world finished yet! I can't even go back in time to change things, I have to _let it all happen!_" Her chest heaved in and out, and her pigtails flailed wildly across her tearstained cheeks. "I can hardly breathe, and I'm more confused than I've ever been in my entire life! How much can someone expect a four year old kid to go through? And if I'm supposed to be so tough, yet I'm breaking, how's _Charlie_ handling herself in the past?"

She was never so emotional in her life, yet today, she felt she reached an all new peak. She moved her hands to her eyes, trying desperately to hold back on the sob coming up her throat. Tommy slowly walked over to her and sat down on the steps beside her. She sniffled and wiped her nose, watching as he pat his leg. Scared, and quite frankly, alone, she wasn't about to yell at him. She moved to his leg and carefully wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt him rub her hair and looked up at his gentle, reassuring smile.

"I know you're scared, Angelica. We all are, this is all confusing for us too. You don't have to stay strong if you don't want to, that's our job. We're going to get you back to your time, and bring Charlie back. I won't let anything happen to you." She wiped her eyes and shut them. She was stunned to hear him say those words, considering all the poor treatment she gave him. "Trust me Angelica, we've always been cousins and have always been close. I'm going to do everything in my power to make things right." She was happy to hear it, but the unfortunate thing was knowing her inevitable fate, what she had just told Kimi.

"Tommy…Jonathan was here." Tommy gasped and Gabe's eyes grew wide with shock. "He insisted on picking up Spencer. He knew I wasn't Charlie, and, and he…" She bowed her head, then leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his chest. His hand rested on the back of her head, patting it gently as her body trembled. "Even if I go back, Angie's trapped. _I'll_ be trapped in some sort of bubble thing that Jonathan put her, me, into through some sort of spell book!" Tommy lifted his head up. Susie bit her lip and Kimi scratched her forehead. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, it's simple." The others were not convinced at all, even Angelica had to pull back just a bit at his choice of words. "It's difficult, yes, but first step…we find that device and get Charlie back here, and Angelica back to her time. After that, Angelica, you'll have to trust us…to find a way to get that book from Jonathan and bring your present self from wherever she's being held. He won't take her, or you, from us. He'll have to kill me first…"

* * *

What are your thoughts and observations?


	13. Hard Work and Frustrations

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N: As time passes day by day in the present, Charlie actually ages in the past. However, when Tommy and Gabe do their machine they'll go back directly to the day Charlie arrived in the past.

* * *

Chapter 13 (Hard Work and Frustrations)

Five-year old Charlie Duncan looked at the calendar with tears in her eyes. It seemed like it taking forever for Gabe and Tommy to get to her. She'd studied the past for a while now, since she arrived, she was learning much about time from Stu and Tommy. However, Charlotte and Drew Pickles had absolutely no idea who she was, they knew she wasn't Angelica. This made matters worse, and they were a bit distant from her. Even Jonathan was eating it up. It was not hard for her to understand the math, or anything else going on, her brain was operating at a higher level these days. Her IQ levels were tested, she was near genius levels, a trait obviously derived from her mother's part of the family. Given the whole family was consistent of a family of geniuses, one of which she was hoping was working feverishly in the future to rescue her.

Speaking of which, she was walking with Jonathan in the mall. "You want to know about time travel Charlie?" He refused to call her Angelica anymore. Today was also one of the few days where Tommy and the others were _not_ able to be with her. "Here's the thing. It feels like two years to you because it has _been_ two years since you've arrived here. Yet, in the future, it has only been one to two days."

"Oh…" She rolled her eyes and dipped them towards the ground. She understood what this meant, and was able to perform basic math. She understood that she would pass now in 2009, given it was now only _2001_, she had to figure out how many days they had left in the present era before she died. She poked her fingers in the air and groaned. Eight years were left, which meant, if Jonathan's word was true, they only had six days to get Angelica back here. "Jonathan, do you mind if I walk around a bit?"

"Whatever, meet me at the kids area in an hour." Charlie smirked confidently as he started to walk off, this was her opportune moment to explore the area on her own. She'd seen someone vaguely familiar in a nearby shop and wanted to go see them. She hoisted her black backpack over her shoulder and walked into a clothing shop. As she walked through the aisles, she was amazed to find the Duncan family. It was hard to remember them now, but at the same time, she doubted if she'd ever forget their faces.

PJ was eight, Teddy was her age. For the first time, she and Teddy had the same age, it was very weird for her, but still a sign that she was losing time. Two-year old Gabe was watching the two siblings perform a game of patty cake while their mother was sorting through some shirts on the rack. Tears fled her eyes as her heart began racing. She missed them so desperately, though she did love her birth family. She was torn, still unable to fulfill that wish to see her birth mom like she wanted to.

She hadn't dared to use that device that Stu gave Tommy, the one Jonathan made. Even if she did, it never worked. The only time it worked was when she dropped it on the ground in her own time when she was three years old, cracking it, and putting that wire back into place. She couldn't move into the future anyway, her family might be a bit concerned if she showed up six years old. It was _not_ pleasant to think that she was being forced to rely on Gabe and Tommy to come back. How could it be so difficult? Did they not have that time device anymore?

She knew this wasn't her life to live, not like this at least. So, should Gabe come for her on the same day that she arrived in 1999, all of this would return to normal. She expected it, craved it, and dreamed of it. The minute she would die, everyone in the future would forget her. She understood this from what Jonathan said. Thank god her B-Grandma and B-Grandpa still looked after her, even after realizing that she wasn't Angelica.

Without much thought, Charlie walked up to Amy and hugged her. Amy gasped and looked down at her, the three kids were shocked by this random girl holding onto her mother. "Uh, hello sweetie," Amy said with a gentle smile. "Where is your Mommy?" She sniffled and shook her head.

"I don't know. She's been gone for a long time. I'm not lost or anything, my mommy's just been gone…" Amy frowned and knelt down in front of her, smiling slightly.

"I'm sure you'll find her dear. Did you lose sight of her in the mall?" Charlie shook her head and Amy looked over to her three children, then back. "Your dad?" She shook her head again, and Amy's expression twisted into confusion. "Where are your parents, sweetheart?" It was very hard for her to answer. Her B-Mom was gone, her adoptive mother didn't even know who she was, and she _still _didn't know who her B-Dad was. Her stomach began grumbling and her hand moved to her belly. "Are you hungry? We'll take you to the food court and talk to mall security to see if anyone's lost their child…" Tears welled up in her eyes as Amy lifted her up and walked to the checkout desk.

How was all this affecting the future? She had to wonder. Did it matter what she did in the past? She still wondered, but never thought of it.

When they moved to the food court, Charlie put her forehead onto her folded arms on the table. She felt both PJ and Teddy rubbing her back, and slowly looked up at the two. "Don't worry," Teddy said with a quick grin, "Your parents will show up! Mommies and Daddies always love their children, no matter what." Maybe so, but she was beginning to lose faith that she would truly see any of them ever again.

"I hope so. My family's assistant is waiting for me though, but he's a scary man…"

In the present day, Gabe wracked his brain over the papers on the table. Tommy was sitting to his right, and Jo was to his left, rubbing his shoulder. Their memories weren't changing too drastically, as Tommy told him he still remembered present Angelica as clear as day. He still remembered Charlie, so that wasn't too much of an issue. "It's been two days, and we haven't made heads or tails of your dad's time device." Stu was doing his best at the house, trying to come up with a new device, but it was hard enough working on a time crunch.

Amy walked behind them and stopped, sipping her coffee mug and smiling at them. "My you three have been working hard on this project, I'm proud of you Gabe. I've never seen you working so hard on your homework." His mother's pride teased his heart with joy, but as much as he'd love to take in what she'd said, he simply could not. He looked up to her with a sad glint in his eyes. Lying to her about something so serious felt like someone shoving a wooden plank down his throat each time he talked to his mother.

"Thanks…We're hoping for an A on this. We can't get anything less than an A. It's not advisable…" Amy's face lit with pride, and she started back towards the stairs. He shook his head and looked back to the papers, scratching his hair with his pen hand. "Okay we have the basic design down from what inventors in the past have made, right? Your dad's given us everything from his memory, so why does it feel like we're missing something?"

"We have all the parts," Tommy muttered, "Even if we hook the wiring up, how does it make time travel possible?" There was the question of the century. Gabe was almost tempted to find Jonathan and force him to give them the answers they needed, but there were many things wrong with that scenario. One, they couldn't simply attack him as legally it would be very bad for Tommy to do so to the man who murdered his Aunt. Jonathan himself expressed blatant refusal to work with them, so there was not much chance of convincing the man to do anything. "Dad barely remembers what it took to make his ancient device travel back in time!" Gabe put his hands to his head and let his head fall down onto the end table before them.

"God it would be nice if Doctor Who existed in real life. Throw us a bone here, God…" He felt Jo rubbing his back, trying to comfort him, but it was to no avail. His body trembled with fear and sorrow as he tried to imagine a life without his little sister. Of course, it terrified him even more still to think of the impact on the Pickles family if Angelica didn't exist, or 'went missing' in 1999. "Come on Doctor, show up if you will!"

"You have to stay calm," Jo said with an unwavering voice. He looked to her and saw the tears in her eyes. It broke his heart to see that this even affected her so deeply, but he was glad to have her here with him, supporting him. "You can do this Gabe, I believe in you, both of you. We can't just sit around moping, we have to work on this, don't give up. They need you right now, your sister and your sister's birth mom."

"It doesn't help that even if we return them to their timelines, Angelica will still be trapped elsewhere." That was what was stressing him out mostly, aside from the fact that they couldn't make a time machine. "What am I supposed to do, grab that damned book from Jonathan? That creep seems to be everywhere!" That man also traveled through time before, so he _knew_ how time travel worked.

Tommy's friends were all in the kitchen with Angelica, who was currently overwhelmed by the visitations. When the front door opened up, Teddy walked in with Spencer and Ivy. Gabe saw Tommy's glare strike Spencer, who appeared greatly confused. Susie and Kimi stepped out of the kitchen with Angelica and frowned at the duo.

"Hey Gabe, still working on your project?" Teddy asked. She walked over to him as Spencer shifted his gaze among the glares. Teddy peered at the paper and raised an eyebrow, they were making their own blueprints. "What is it? Looks like a hand grenade."

"It's not that, that's for sure." He wasn't too certain how true that fact was. For what it did, it may as well be one. Gabe looked over to Tommy, a bit unsettled by his glare. He wasn't exactly _sure_ what the deal was with Spencer, or why Tommy and his friends hated him so much. Even Teddy appeared to be picking up on the glares. Ivy moved over to her cousin and whispered to her.

"Susie, why's everyone glaring at Spencer?" Ivy asked with uncertainty. Susie closed her eyes and folded her arms over.

"Simple. They all believe he's an asshole-"

"He is," Kimi muttered. Gabe overheard this exchange, but Teddy didn't seem to catch it. Kimi walked forward, still glaring at Spencer. She tore her gaze away and looked over to Teddy with a slight frown. The group _had_ become friends with the Duncan family over the last couple of days. "Didn't he cheat on you?" Teddy looked back and shrugged.

"Yeah, he's changed though…" Teddy looked over at him with a slow glare. "Doesn't help that he keeps pressuring me to have sex when I don't want to do that."

"What?!" Tommy and Kimi froze, and Susie growled. Gabe put his hands over his mouth and hurried his eyes over to Spencer, who was now tugging at his collar. The kitchen door flew open and Chuckie immediately grabbed Kimi's wrist, just as she started towards him. "Let me go, Chuckie! Let me go! I'll kill him!"

Susie folded her arms over and put her hand to her forehead as Ivy pat her shoulder. "It takes a while to get over hating Spencer," Ivy said with a slow chuckle. "Though I don't understand…none of you know Teddy. So, why should that bother you."

"It isn't just Teddy," Tommy growled. He pointed a finger at Spencer and narrowed his eyes, speaking with spite. Gabe was steadily becoming nervous and irritated. By this time, the Duncan family understood that Tommy was the cousin of Charlie's birth mom. They didn't know why they hadn't met Angelica yet, but they hoped for it one day. Amy, however, was a bit nervous about that prospect. "That bastard is a cheap womanizer. Don't think you're the first girl he's tried to pressure."

Teddy raised an eyebrow and looked back, shrugging her shoulders. "I know he's probably done it with other girlfriends before. Hell, even Skyler said he tried to do it to her. Let's _not_ roast my boyfriend right now…" She took Spencer's arm and started dragging him away.

Gabe watched them depart, curious as hell. When they were gone, he turned to Tommy. "What was that all about?" Tommy slowly sat down and put his hand to his forehead, groaning loudly. Ivy had left as well. Gabe looked over to Susie, she was looking at the window with half-lidded eyes.

"Spencer dated Angelica when she was thirteen," Susie began. Gabe's heart stopped and his pen fell from his hand. She didn't have to say much more to see where this was going. "There was a time Angelica really wanted to find a boyfriend, she even got into sports and landed a position on our school's football team as a student coach. That's where she met Spencer, when he was attending…"

"So, Spencer and Angelica…"

"Yeah, he pressured her and pressured her into having sex." The tension that was already in the air was thicker now than before. Jo looked angry, and Gabe was doing his best to push down his own rage as he looked over to the door. Kimi scoffed and Tommy remained in his pose. "She didn't want to for the longest time, and we all told her to dump him, but she was just happy to have a boyfriend. Eventually she got tired of the shit and gave in, but…she wound up pregnant, so he dumped her. Actually when Ivy found out that some guy got my best friend pregnant, _she_ had to hold _me_ back from hunting the asshole down."

"Does Ivy know?"

"No, I didn't tell her much about Spencer." Gabe could agree that if Ivy had known, there was no way she would have let Teddy hook up with Spencer. Hell, he didn't even want Teddy to be with him! Susie's eyes fell towards the ground and she lifted her hands from her waist. "We lost sight of him over the years, but Ivy obviously kept in touch with me…I guess it is on me that I didn't tell them when Ivy told me Spencer and Teddy were dating, but yeah…Spencer probably doesn't even know Charlie's his own daughter."

"God…" He wanted to rip Spencer's head from his shoulders, and the others appeared to want the same thing. They couldn't let their hate distract them, however. They needed to focus. He narrowed his eyes and gazed down at the papers, clearing his throat. "Okay, we'll deal with this in due time, there are still more important things at stake…"

"Agreed," Tommy replied. "The time machine…"

* * *

Well what are your observations? Charlie's rapidly going through the years, and her smarts are explained in the beginning. Looks like Gabe finally realizes the truth of the matter, that Spencer is Charlie's birth father (but no he doesn't know this. Yet.) Tell me what your thoughts are


	14. Birth Father

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 14 (Birth Father)

Angelica could feel the tension in the air when she entered the living room, she was shocked that people were still muddling over Spencer walking in with Teddy and Ivy. At least half an hour had gone by, and not much was being said by anyone. She wanted to get out of that room before she became depressed, so perhaps she could check on PJ and Skyler. Those two were always fun to talk to, they made this whole experience relaxing. She trusted Gabe and Tommy to get their work done, but still she was frightened of the way things would be.

As she made her way up the stairs, she could hear PJ in the master bedroom talking with his father about something. She didn't think much of it and went ahead to PJ's old bedroom where he and Skyler had been earlier in the day. The two were getting ready to go back to his apartment, so she wanted to see them before they left. When she stopped in the doorway, she was stunned to see Spencer in the room with a very angry Skyler.

"Get away from me," Skyler growled. He had her backed up against the wall, his arm next to her head and his lips curved into a smirk. "What part of I want nothing to do with you don't you understand?" Angelica clenched her fists and began growling, how _dare_ Spencer do this! Did he not have any moral bone in his body? Then again, his family _did_ hire Jonathan as their assistant. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, debating in her mind whether or not she wanted to call PJ into the room or physically start attacking Spencer.

"I only wanted to talk," Spencer commented, "Besides, Teddy's kind of pent up right now…I just wanted to chat." Skyler put her hands to his chest and pushed him back, then slid away from him. Spencer rubbed the back of his neck and turned around as she stormed out of the room, not quite seeing Angelica. Spencer turned his eyes to her and lifted his brows. Her deadly glare pierced into him as she began moving forward. If it wasn't for Charlie, she had half a mind to remember him when she went back into the past and try to _not _date him in the future. "C-Charlie? How much of that…uh oh…"

"Just wanted to _talk_, did you?" The door shut behind her. She stopped before him and allowed her simmering anger to rise. "You would hit on PJ's girlfriend and you're with Teddy?" Where were his priorities? Where was the backbone? Where was the responsibility? She hopped up onto the bed, getting to his level, then began poking his chest. He seemed frozen in her glare, stammering uncontrollably. "What makes you think you can hop from one to another like a game of leapfrog? You're _not _frogger!"

"What does a kid's game have to do with any-wait-when did you learn all those words, Charlie?"

"That is _not_ important!" Preschool, Susie, the older kids at the park, there were various places that taught her to read and talk with at least a first to second grade level. Her mom and dad weren't quite aware of this. Not to mention, she came from a family of geniuses, she was much smarter than the average toddler. "What is important, is you're a liar! A cheat! I'm not surprised you ran away from a pregnant girlfriend!" Angelica froze after that, her eyes wide. Spencer's jaw dropped and she quickly smacked her forehead. She'd said far too much.

"H-How do you know about that?"

"Not hard to figure out when Gabe's friends are talking about it!" She needed to counter this, she had to find a way to fix what just occurred. "I bet you wouldn't even know your own kid if she slapped you in the face! No, you're too busy hopping from my sister and other girls to _ever_ pay attention to one woman and a child!" She needed to curtail her rage, she was showing far more knowledge and vocabulary than what Charlie should know. It wasn't her fault she was immensely irritated! Spencer's face softened a bit and his lips dipped into a frown.

"You're just a child, Charlie, how could you know about all this? And…you think I had a daughter?"

"That's what Miss Susie said." Angelica lowered her hand and sat on the bed beside, muttering to herself. If he knew Charlie was his child, if he knew what Jonathan tried, or had done, how would he react? It was just as tempting to tell him, just that tempting to blurt it all out, but she knew it might be best that she didn't. "Why are you such a liar? Why would you want to hurt my sister, or PJ's girlfriend, or even…" She choked on her last word, shaking her head. Spencer ran his hands along his face, groaning ever so slightly.

"God Charlie, you're too young to understand…" He sat beside her and put his hands between his knees, twiddling his thumbs. Was she too young to get it?

"Try me." He smirked subtly and ran his hand through his hair. As the angry tears in her eyes started to dry up, she focused her glare onto him, expecting an answer. "I may be a kid, but even I know what being faithful means. Mommy and Daddy love each other, are you not able to love someone?"

"It's not that! It's just…" He raised an eyebrow at her, staring for a full minute while opening and closing his mouth as a fish would in his attempts to form words she might be able to understand. "Fear…a thirteen year old can't take care of a baby." She rolled her eyes and scoffed. She didn't believe that one bit, but mostly considering that it _could_ be done. That's what help from the family should be about.

"Duh, you have a family that could help." Spencer shrugged his shoulders, still staring at her with a mix of confusion and contemplation. He turned his eyes to a family photograph on the table next to the bed, studying Charlie for a minute. "From what the Pickles and Susie said, Angelica had to give away the baby _because_ not only would you not help her, her mommy passed away too." Spencer shifted his gaze from the picture, then back. "Her dad's in the hospital now, so she probably couldn't raise the baby on her own…as much as I think they said she wanted to. In other words, she put the child up for adoption, gave them to a family."

"You know what adoption is, Charlie?"

"Yes…Mommy and Daddy said I was adopted."

"Yeah, the Duncans had a stillborn child back in 20…09…do you know what stillborn means?"

"It means the baby was born dead. Yes, I know what death is, I've heard older kids talking about it." Spencer was startled by this, but also seemed relatively unfazed. "You're not good people Spencer, you're heartless and only care about yourself. I think that much is obvious." Spencer stammered and quickly looked over to her.

"What do you mean, not good people?" Angelica rolled her eyes and lifted her fingers up, counting off with each finger by curling them into her palm.

"You had a baby with a girl you talked into doing the dirty with. You hurt my sister once, hurt PJ's girlfriend, you're doing it _again_, and you're pressuring my sister into doing the dirty deed." Spencer bowed his head for a moment. Angelica eyed the door, letting her mind drift to the conversation Gabe and Tommy had been having earlier. They needed blueprints for that time device from Jonathan, _maybe_ she could actually use Spencer.

"Charlie, if you know about your adoption, do you know who your birth parents are?" She nodded her head, then rejected Spencer when he asked if she could tell him who they were. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because it's not your business, Spencer. Besides, you wouldn't care. You'd probably care just as much as you'd care about your own child." She hopped off the bed and moved to the door, she knew there was an impending blow up coming after what he'd done with Skyler, and she wanted to see it go down. It was hard to deny the rage that everyone in the house would feel towards him when Skyler informed them about what happened. "By the way Spencer, if you don't think Skyler's going to tell PJ and Teddy what you were doing…I guess you'll be blissfully unaware of Tommy, Phil, Lil, Kimi, Chuckie, Dil, PJ, Teddy, Mom, and Dad…also, Susie and Ivy. I don't think you're going to enjoy what's coming your way…"

She moved to the upper floor railing and peered through the wooden bars into the living area where everyone was. Teddy was standing with Ivy and Skyler, and everyone was red with anger. Even Gabe was holding PJ back from coming up the stairs. It looked very much like Spencer was about to get his butt kicked if he didn't run, and soon. To think, this was the man that was the father of her future child? Exactly _how_ desperate was her future self for a boyfriend? "I had hoped I wouldn't be naïve when I was older…"

Just when she thought things were calming down, Amy stepped at the bottom of the stairs and screamed at the top of her lungs, practically destroying Angelica's eardrums. "Spencer Walsh, get down here this instant!" She winced and looked over her shoulder as Spencer slowly stepped out of the bedroom. Her lip curved into a devious smirk and she motioned him with her head, gesturing down the stairs. He swallowed and slowly walked to the top of the stairs.

"For the record, I had _nothing_ to do with this." She had to state that, considering she was so adamant about _not_ wrecking anything in the future. She didn't want to impact much, if she hadn't already done so. "Have fun Spencer." He slowly looked over to her, still staring in contemplation for several moments. Annoyed, she scowled and took a step forward. "What!"

"Nothing, I…" He shook his head and looked over to Amy, then to Teddy, who was tearing up. Seeing Tommy, Kimi, Susie, Ivy, and all the rest was not helping him any further. Angelica understood the reasoning for this, considering _they_ knew about him before the Duncan family. "…probably deserve everything I'm about to get."

She curled her hand, waving her fingers at him. "Ta-ta Spencer." He tugged on his collar and took one step down. It wasn't a long walk to shame, and Angelica could only watch as Amy grabbed him and tossed him back onto the couch. Everyone was yelling at him, and he was sitting there in total silence, taking every insult after another.

"I let you in a second time, and this is how you repay me?" Teddy shouted. "By trying to hit on Skyler? Is there no conscience in you at all!" Spencer closed his eyes and turned his head away. Tommy and PJ took turns screaming into his ear, and his only reaction was to cringe. Angelica could hardly be satisfied with this, he was displaying no _pain_. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. We're done Spencer, we're through. Get out of my house!" She pointed to the door and Spencer slowly rose to his feet. "I should have known you were a no good womanizer, not worthy enough to be trusted. If you think I'm going to give you my heart again after this, then you're sadly mistaken!"

"You deserve better," Spencer uttered. "I was wrong. I don't expect you to trust me again."

Teddy stammered as her tears rolled past her chin. She clenched her eyes shut and screamed at the top of her lungs. "Get out!" He looked up at Angelica, then turned his eyes to the family picture on the wall. With a heavy sigh, he started walking towards the door.

"Okay…" Angelica held onto her breath and waited as he left. She was curious about whether or not she should try and locate him later, in order to get close to Jonathan. She _needed_ to find those blueprint things for that time device. She narrowed her eyes as the door shut. Everyone hugged Teddy, but the girl seemed resilient, as though she wasn't about to let Spencer get the best of her. A good thing too, since she would need to be strong.

Susie came up the steps and sat beside her. "It seems strange, Spencer hardly reacted…did you say anything to him about Charlie?"

"Sort of, but I didn't tell him anything about him being her birth father. I don't know if you guys told the Duncans…"

"No, that's not our place Angelica." She frowned and slowly nodded her head. It wasn't hard for her to understand, especially with everything that was going on. Either way, the most important aspect right now wasn't whether or not Spencer knew he was the father, it was getting in the right time zones.

* * *

What a chapter this was, tell me your thoughts and observations


	15. Mission Impossible

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 15 (Mission Impossible)

Angelica swung on the rope swing outside, glaring at the open fence leading into the backyard. During her time here, she'd seen Jonathan drive by the house at least a dozen times. He wanted to get her, but she was confident enough to outwit him each time. Sometimes, the family was home and he just drove right on by, but this time she could hear his car rolling to a stop outside. Her interest was piqued, as Spencer only _just_ left to go home.

She hopped off the swing and moved to the edge of the fence, gazing at his black car. When Jonathan stepped out and readjusted the black suit he was wearing, she immediately shrank back out of view for a moment. _"What is he doing here now, I wonder…certainly isn't here to deal with Spencer." _As he walked up to the door, cleaning off his hands with some pearl white handkerchief, Angelica got the sudden thought to rush up to his car. After all, if it was a blueprint the group needed, then it was a blueprint she would find!

She slipped behind his car and froze at the steering wheel, and crouching down out of sight. Jonathan glanced back at the car, then looked back to the door, raising his eyebrows. When he turned back to the door and struck the bell, Angelica was able to carefully open the back door and sneak inside. She curled up on the ground behind the seat and rose up to look out the window. Jonathan was speaking to Bob, most likely about Spencer. Either or, that was the very person she wanted to see, and Jonathan was going to take her to him whether he knew it or not. It was more of a matter in the sense, Spencer was going to help her obtain necessary blueprints from Jonathan.

Crouching back down out, she waited as the man moved back into the driver's seat. He muttered to himself and smirked. "So they've not come close to creating a time device. Perfect." Angelica narrowed her eyes and started to lift her foot, but quickly put it back down, resisting the urge to kick him. "Not that I care if they fix it at all…the Angelica they know is still stuck." She rolled her eyes and leaned back, thankful that at least he didn't seem to realize she was here.

Watching from her time bubble was the still-fading, older Angelica. She was slightly more transparent than before, and felt her heart clawing at her chest. Her oval eyes were large and her body flushed with panic. _"I can't believe she got in his car. Are you kidding me?" _

Her body was numb with pain from the onslaught of hard memories beckoning her to give up her soul. She did manage to somehow deliver her thoughts to whomever she was watching, and perhaps guide them safely. So with that in mind, she had to wonder if she couldn't protect her past self somehow.

Jonathan's blueprints were in a folder that he kept in his office desk, therefore she had to let herself know this. She was very impressed with how the young Angelica handled herself with Spencer, but she wasn't exactly happy about it. At least he appeared to be showing some sign of remorse. She wasn't sure if she wanted him knowing Charlie was his daughter, but at least if he did, she could maybe convince the Duncan family to get him to pay child support.

Angelica closed her eyes and began her attempts at sending a message to the young child, hoping maybe she could be like a guiding spirit for her. _"If Jonathan catches her, he'll surely kill her…I don't want her hurt, and I don't want Charlie hurt."_ She had to do everything that was possible, and the possible was very limited, to protect these two children. _"Be cautious Angelica…"_

In Jonathan's car, Angelica felt a warm, yet odd feeling coming over her. She felt as though someone were telling her the location of Jonathan's blueprints. She would have to be extremely careful though, if he caught her, she could very likely die. If anyone caught her, the mission was for naught. Never before had she been so terrified of her mother's assistant, but she also never thought he was capable of murdering, much less attacking a young and innocent child.

The car came to a stop, and the light dimmed, suggesting they were in a garage. Jonathan left the vehicle without checking the backseat, much to Angelica's pleasure. After waiting for about two minutes, she slowly exited the vehicle. She skipped once to the wall beside the garage door and pressed her back against it. When she turned her head, she saw she was in a four-car garage, with three other extravagant looking cars. _"Spencer's family is rich? He apparently doesn't pay child support…this needs to be fixed…"_ She moved closer to the door and kicked it gently with her toe, nudging it open. _"Another thing that needs fixing, Jonathan should learn to close his boss's door."_ It was a problem he had even in her time, he never closed doors all the way or checked his surrounds. Another fault she hoped he still had, he never locked anything, which she attributed to his lack of being able to recall lock combinations or misplacing keys.

When she slipped into the house, she heard Spencer being chided by his father. "I thought your mother and I raised you better than this, Spencer. We thought your days of having affairs were finished! Not only did we raise you better, you're the image of your family, you represent your family, and here you go gallivanting off and not taking responsibility for your actions!" Angelica raised her eyebrows at the word 'gallivanting', she had no idea what it meant. Perhaps she could ask Susie. "To top it off, we're just _now_ finding out that you walked out on a pregnant girlfriend? What is that all about?"

"I didn't want to tell you about that, I was thirteen…"

"So what? Man up, son! Take responsibility for Christ's sake! Do you know where this girl is now, or where this child of yours is?"Angelica rounded the corner and poked her head around a doorway leading into the living room. Spencer's back was to her, his father's angry glare was focused on him, and Jonathan was walking past the two. There was a hallway where Jonathan was going, and she needed to get there. The father looked over to Jonathan, acknowledging him with a nod. "GooD afternoon, Jonathan…going into your office?"

"Yes sir. I have some work to finish." Just like back home, he had an office at the house. She was astonished, but pleased at the same time. If Jonathan found her and attempted to do anything to her, she knew Spencer would at least not let anything happen. Plus, she didn't think anyone would want to mess with that dad.

To her right was a doorway that also led into some hallway. She smirked as the thought came to her mind that this hallway was where she needed to get to. She carefully made her way into it, clinging to the wall as she reached the corner. She poked her head around the corner and her eyebrows shot up, Jonathan was walking into a door in the middle of the hall. _"Must be his office…" _She glanced over her shoulder, then crossed onto the wall in front of her. She slid down to the door and carefully peered into the office, seeing Jonathan in a leather brown chair, his back turned towards the door. He had a phone glued to his ear and was gazing out the office window before him.

The office desk was a simple brown desk with a flat top, thick wooden sides, and a back that was pushed inwards. It was enough to be considered a small cave for her, but she wasn't sure it was the safest place for her to hide. On the right side of the room was a vanilla couch and a plant beside the end closest to the door. The couch was positioned far enough from the wall that she could easily fit her small body behind it.

She hurried behind the couch, cheering mentally as she curled up. Her eyes brimmed with pride, and her throat filled with an urge to cry out her success, but that desire was overridden by the desire to _not_ get caught. She held her breath and listened as Jonathan turned his chair around and hung up the phone. She heard the rustling sound of papers, then a desk drawer slamming shut. When she poked the top portion of her head from the couch, concealed by the pant, and able to see through the small space between the white pot and the couch, she saw Jonathan with a large book and a radio.

He spoke some sort of enchantment, then began talking. Angelica's heart clenched when she heard the voice of an angry, but frightened girl replying back. A chip in front of the device turned a hologram on, revealing that of a tall blonde girl with her hair going down to her shoulders. She was starting to fade, her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were full of fiery malice. Was this _her_? Her present self? She swallowed hard and shot back behind the couch. Her body was trembling and her thoughts were running wild. She wanted to scream, terrified by the sight, but covered her mouth and remained calm.

"So Angelica, you're still not fading away I see. I'm just that much closer to destroying you. Tell me, how is your daughter? I know you can see her…It must pain you so, knowing you're going to fade away as long as your past self is here…" Jonathan chuckled evilly and Angelica bowed her head as her future self cussed Jonathan out.

"You're not going to win, mark my words!" Screamed the fading woman. "Gabe and Tommy, they're going to save them." Jonathan leaned back in his chair, laughing and taunting her. "Just because I can't escape this…when I get out, I'm coming after you!"

"That won't happen, you see…first those boys would need a certain crystal that _I_ created, in order to make anything work." Jonathan pulled his folders from the top drawer, along with a small, round diamond-like gem. Angelica looked out, aghast, but determined to grab those things the minute she got a chance. "Looks like Spencer's realizing who his daughter is, what do you think of that?" The woman growled and spat out at him, screaming her anger once again.

"I don't want him around her unless I'm there! You leave Charlie alone! You leave her family alone! I won't let you harm my baby."

"Funny, for a woman who hasn't even been a part of her life." Angelica put her hand over her heart and closed her eyes, she still felt the guilt for that, and it hadn't even occurred yet. She knew, if she was allowed to change at least _one_ thing, that would be the thing she would change. "You say you want to protect your daughter, but how can you do that? Sorry dearie, but you're just as bad as your own mother."

"Don't you dare talk about my mother! You have no _right_ to talk about her! Murderer! I swear, when I get out of here-"

"Not a chance. This is exactly what I've wanted. All these years, all those years of torture and working under your god awful mother, I _finally_ have achieved my freedom! Or at least, I will when you fade away for good…I won't have to have gone to prison, I will have never been fingered by _you_."

Angelica brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her leg. Could he hear the beating of her heart? Could he sense the chattering of her teeth? She was usually the bravest one around, with the exception of Tommy, but now she was the most frightened. What kind of man would kill a child? What kind of person was he? It wasn't going to be easy for her going back into her appropriate time, and _not_ warning her family of Jonathan.

"You could have just quit your job and left…"

"No, it wasn't that easy, I had nowhere to go. I had nowhere to turn. You understand. I would have considered killing you and your father, but it would have been too suspicious. Now with your father in the hospital, and you here, I guess both of you are done for."

"You don't touch my father."

"What? That man doesn't want to live any longer, anyway. You want to let him suffer when his daughter is long gone?" Angelica was feeling faint, and was currently fighting the nausea inside of her. What could she do to put a stop to this? What was there for her to do? How could they save her future self? If she stepped back into her own time, she was going to have to _trust_ them to save her. Even though she always felt like handling her own problems, judging by the girl in the hologram, there was no way out of that trap.

The door opened back up nearby and she heard Spencer's voice. Jonathan raised an eyebrow and hurried to flip off the hologram and devices. "What was that?" Spencer asked while pointing at the desk. "Looked like…"

"No one," Jonathan muttered. He rose from his desk and tapped his fingertips on the surface. "What do you need?"

"Dad's been calling for you, he needs you to do something real quick." Jonathan rolled his eyes and started for the door. Angelica started to whimper, but caught herself and flicked her eyes towards the two men. Within seconds, they were gone. She took this opportunity to run up to the desk and grab both the crystal, and Jonathan's folder. The only question now was, how in the hell was she getting home?

She hid the folder behind her back and pushed the small crystal into her chest pocket. Now that she had the materials, she carefully slipped from Jonathan's door and snuck to the garage. Before she could reach one of the cars, she heard Spencer's voice, causing her to freeze up. Spencer was at the door, calling inside to his dad. "I'm going out for a bit!" Her eyes shot back and forth, and she began to scramble for a hiding spot, all to no avail. "Charlie? Is that you?"

She spun around and chuckled nervously. "H-Hi." This was _not_ good.

* * *

Angelica has seen her trapped self, but she's managed to sneak in and grab that time crystal. She put herself in that dangerous situation, but made it out, what are your observations and thoughts of the chapter?


	16. Ice Cream Break

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 16 (Ice Cream Break)

"Jonathan brought me here," Angelica started. Spencer frowned at her and clicked a button on his keys, causing his car to chirp. She could use him to get home, and that was all she needed. Her body wouldn't stop trembling, and sweat was pouring down her forehead. "Don't make me go back in there. I don't want to be near him! I beg of you." Spencer raised an eyebrow and started walking towards the car. By the look in his eyes, he could tell she was afraid, but that fact was pretty obvious.

"Okay Charlie, we need to get you home." She opened the back door of the car and got in. Spencer moved into the driver's seat and started up his car. Angelica peered down at the crystal in her hands, still concealing the folder behind her back. The gem was very smooth and glossy, much like that of a marble. Somehow, this was supposed to go inside a device to activate it. 'Time Crystal' was the definition that came to mind, and certainly if they didn't act fast, Jonathan might start wondering. "Seat belt, Charlie."

She saw Spencer glancing at her in the rearview mirror, smiling gently when he returned his eyes to the road. What was it he wanted? She pushed the crystal back into her chest pocket and put her hands to her hips. "With as slow as you're driving?" He wasn't even going that fast! She clicked the seatbelt on and crossed her arms. "What are you so interested in?" How awkward would it be for little Charlie if she knew Spencer was her birth father? How hard would it be for Teddy to swallow that? "You seem fascinated. Got some news you'd like to share? Maybe _another_ girl you're into?"

"Not really, no. I'll live. Would you like to grab some ice cream?" Her eyes brightened and she quickly perked up upon hearing the magic words. Never before had she turned down the offer for ice cream, and she wasn't about to start now.

"Would I, ever!" He chuckled and turned his lips up higher. She gazed out the car window as Spencer turned into a Braum's Ice Cream shop. She'd never actually been here before. She'd seen it around, but her mom and dad never actually took her into one. The bright neon sign was like a beacon, calling for her. "Oh thank you!" She was bouncing in her seat, waiting to hop out of the car as soon as she could.

When he finally parked, she jumped from the vehicle and looked back impatiently as Spencer seemed to take his time getting out. Her eagerness and excitement couldn't be measured in anything less than off the charts. Spencer laughed once and folded his arms over. "You act like you've never seen an ice cream store before." Angelica raised an eyebrow and huffed, brushing her hair over her shoulders.

"You act like you've never seen a kid go crazy over ice cream."

"Ah, I don't know, I was a kid once." He smirked and began walking towards the building, Angelica followed quietly behind him. "I hope Teddy isn't upset over your being here, I'm going to have to call the Duncans, they must be worried sick…" It wouldn't be pretty, she was certain of that. Once inside, Angelica hurried over to the ice cream booth and put her hands on the metal wall, peering over at the many flavors. "One scoop, all right?"

"Only _one_?" Dang, just like her parents back home, they never let her have more than one. "I _never_ get more than one scoop." She folded her arms over as Spencer rubbed her head, laughing once. "Do they have Rocky Road? That's my favorite…"

A short time later, they were at a booth and Angelica was fully engrossed in her ice cream cone. As she ate, tasting the wonderful flavor of chocolate on her tongue, she rolled the marshmallows around in her mouth and sighed as her throat chilled. She saw Spencer leaning against his side of the booth, his arm up on the chair and his misty eyes peering out at the window. She was surprised he even bothered to bring her for ice cream, and to top it off, he still thought she was Charlie. Did he suspect something? Did he already know about her? "Well, I guess you do resemble your mother, Charlie…I'll say that much."

"Oh really now?" She rolled her eyes and bit into the ice cream, shuddering as her teeth cringed in contact with the cold ice cream. "You knew my mommy?"

"Your birth mother." Angelica smirked at him and started licking the ice cream line melting along the waffle cone. This was hard work for one scoop, so it was a good thing she didn't get more! "Tough girl. Stubborn as a mule, did whatever it took to get what she wanted. I know I messed up with her, but that's a story for another day I suppose." She lowered the cone just a bit, gazing at his sorrowful eyes. His hand gently pat the top of his booth and his head shook from left to right. "I haven't even thought about her in all this time. It didn't hit me really, I was doing the same thing with Skyler and Teddy that I did with her."

"You mean pushing them to do the naughty?" Spencer's eyes widened and his cheeks shot red as he quickly moved his hand behind his head. He chuckled nervously.

"You really shouldn't know about that at your age, Charlie. Where did you learn all that?"

"Older kids at the park." She had a nonchalant tone in her voice as she once again sank her mouth into the ice cream, delighting in its cold promise. Certainly, her face was covered with chocolate. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. I'll probably learn about it when I'm older anyway."

"Maybe, but either way…you do remind me of her. I wonder where she is now." She could opt to be evil and tell him that Jonathan trapped her in some bubble of doom, but she wasn't in the mood to be cruel hearted. "I expect just like Teddy, she wouldn't want to give me the time of day anymore." That was very likely, but at the very least, maybe he should see his child. That was up to the mother, however, and _she_ herself wasn't Charlie's mom. Her future self was. She had more on her mind than whether or not Spencer should see the girl.

Now some things couldn't have changed that much in her life, the quality and values still had to remain the same. Even at her age, if someone hurt her that way, she would never let them close again. "Thank you for the ice cream, Spencer."

"You're welcome. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to call Teddy…assuming she takes my call." Spencer fished his phone from his pocket and started to dial the number on his phone. He leaned forward and tapped his fingers on the table, waiting patiently as the phone ringed. After about four rings, Angelica heard a very frantic voice on the other end. Clearly the entire house was indeed searching for her. "Teddy relax, Charlie is with me…I don't know how, but somehow she climbed into Jonathan's car and he drove off with her. I took her out for ice cream, I'm about to bring her home…she's safe."

Hopefully that would bring some relief to the family, although she wasn't sure if she could say Charlie was safe. She was definitely happy to be away from Jonathan, nonetheless. Granted, she was pretty lucky to have stumbled across Spencer, since she really didn't plan on how she'd get back. The phone call went on for a couple more minutes, strictly about her having been at his house and then getting ice cream. They didn't discuss the break up, but that would have been inappropriate for the moment. Spencer hung up the phone and Angelica looked up to him. "So that didn't go so bad, I guess?"

"Depends on your definition of bad. They really are worried sick about you." He put his hands behind his head and sighed. "You said Jonathan took you there?"

"Sort of, I snuck into the back seat." His face twisted with disapproval and he quickly shook his head.

"You should never get into the car with a stranger, Charlie. What were you thinking?" Technically Jonathan _wasn't_ a stranger. This begged the question once more, should she tell him that she wasn't Charlie? He might not take comfort in knowing his assistant is the one who tried to kill her before, or that Charlie was stuck in the past. Would he believe a four year old kid, though? "Anyhow, we'll get you home as soon as you're done with that cone."

"Okay." Now the remaining question on her mind was how long it would take Gabe and Tommy to build that machine? Not only that, but could they do it before Jonathan became all the wiser? In the corner of her eyes, she saw a vaguely familiar man walking out of the bathroom. He had short, curly red hair, a slightly round face, and a muscular build. His freckled cheekbones were up in front of his eyes, which fell into an angry glare on Spencer. In her mind, she wanted to think it was Harold, but could it be the same Harold in her preschool class?

_He used to be a klutz, bulked up since pregnancy._

She shook her head at the foreign thought and put a hand to her left temple. Was her future self trying to reach out to her? "Spencer Walsh!" Spencer looked over his shoulder, surprised at the man.

"Harold?" Spencer blinked multiple times and scanned the man. "Weren't you like…scrawny the last time I saw you?" Did Spencer know this guy? Then again, if Harold was involved in her life, he would probably know Spencer. "Plus your hair's a lot nicer looking…it's been a while."

"Four years, I've been working out, thinking of what I would do if I ever saw your ugly mug again." Harold walked over and turned his eyes to Angelica, softening his expression. He raised an eyebrow at her, put his hand to his forehead, then looked back at Spencer, pointing an angry finger at him. "Angelica was the only reason I didn't beat you into a pulp back then…that, and, I wouldn't have stood much of a chance, but that's not important! You don't know what you put her through, and if you didn't have a kid with you right now, I'd-" Harold stopped and looked back at Angelica. "Why _do_ you have a kid…wait, is that Angelica's daughter?" Angelica froze, leaving her tongue glued to the shrinking ice cream scoop. This wasn't good, her cover was blown. "I thought she gave her up for adoption, what are _you_ doing with her?"

"I've been trying to figure it out actually…" Spencer scratched his hair and frowned at Harold. "Anyway, she snuck into my dad's assistant's car…Angelica gave her up at birth, obviously she never told me about it."

"Well duh, she didn't _want_ to, but she had no choice. Maybe if you decided to stick around rather than go about your girl-hopping, she wouldn't have had to give her up." Spencer folded his arms on the table and leaned forward as Harold started scratching his chin. "Although, a crazy thought, that doesn't look like her daughter, that looks like Angelica herself." She breathed in sharp, then coughed when the ice cream swept into the wrong pipe. Harold was about to give her away! "Strange…I've known her since preschool, and there's no mistaking her."

"Now why would it be her? Anyway, I need to be getting her home…her adoptive family's about ready to kill me."

"Not surprising, I'm pretty sure everyone you come in contact with wants to kill you." Spencer rolled his eyes and glared at Harold. "What did you do this time? Get another girl pregnant?"

"Shut up!" Spencer slammed his hands on the table and rose, glaring wildly into Harold's eyes. Angelica winced and hurried to scarf down the ice cream. She could feel the tension in the air and needed it to end as soon as possible. "It's not any of your business, anyway. I was dating the sister in the family, we just broke up, so put a cork in it, Carrot-top." Harold narrowed his eyes and growled.

"What did you just say…"

Angelica finished the last bite. She'd had enough of this. She quickly hopped up onto the table and pointed to the two. "Stop your bickering!" The two men froze and looked over at her with astonished eyes. "There are more important things at stake, we need to get to Tommy and Gabe _now!_ Harold, you stop egging the guy on for crying out loud, I swear you're more annoying now than you are in preschool!"

"Wha-"

"That's right…" She jerked her thumb to her chest, growling. "I'm Angelica, and I have the birthmark on my ankle to prove it." Her chest was aching now from eating that ice cream too fast, and the frigid sensation in her chest was rapidly rising into her head. "Tommy and Gabe are working on fixing a time machine to get me back into my own time, and my daughter back here. To top it off, Jonathan has my future self trapped, and is trying to kill all of us, so I'd like to get home now, please!"

The air was silent and still, neither man could speak. What was there to say? She'd said it all, her chest was heaving, and her face was red as a tomato. Without any word, Spencer carefully picked her up, set her on the ground, and guided her to the car. Even Harold was at a loss for words, something that was rather odd for him considering their preschool days. Maybe it wasn't abnormal now. Either way, she was happy the fight was over, but it was going to be a _long_ drive home.

* * *

What observations you got?


	17. In Mourning

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 17 (In Mourning)

Angelica burst through the door with the folder in her hands. Spencer wouldn't go inside the house, considering just about everyone in there was ready to kill him. She was scooped up by Amy, who started holding her tight. "My baby! You scared mommy so!" Amy cried. Angelica let out a grunt as she turned her eyes to Tommy and Susie, they did _not_ look happy with her, having hopped off in Jonathan's car. Hopefully she would have made it all worth it, but still, they were right to be mad at her. "Baby, you shouldn't go off with strangers like that."

"I know, and I'm sorry." Angelica was set on the ground, and happy to be there. She immediately bounced over to Tommy and his friends. She set the folder down on the end table and took a deep breath. "There was something I really truly had to do. It was the only way to do it…I'm sorry I worried you." Tommy folded his arms over and leaned forward, whispering softly.

"It's _Jonathan_, he could have _hurt you_." Angelica sighed and looked over her shoulder, annoyed that she was getting the third degree. Not only that, but there were far too many people in the living room! Gabe, Amy, Teddy, Bob, PJ, Skyler, Jo, Ivy, Tommy, Susie, Chuckie, Kimi, Phil, and even Lil! How many people needed to be in one house? "Anyway, Spencer was with you? Is he not coming in?"

"He thinks everyone's going to kill him." Judging by the looks on their faces, she figured Spencer's initial thoughts were correct. "I uh…saw Howard today." Tommy smirked and Susie laughed, but the Duncan family seemed a bit oblivious. Susie sat on the couch and Angelica quickly climbed up next to her, speaking quietly. "He's changed a lot since preschool."

"He's your boyfriend now." Angelica's eyes widened as Susie's smirk deepened. Before she could truly react to this shocking, and oddly disturbing news, Amy picked her up once more. Of course, she was about to be in some serious trouble for running off, but it was to be expected. She'd have to talk to Tommy and the rest later, when she wasn't in a for a huge lecture on not running off with strangers. Most of which would probably be overshadowed by the fact that she just discovered her future boyfriend was the dweeb she picked on in preschool!

After what seemed like an hour, Angelica was allowed to leave her bedroom and run out to where Tommy and Gabe were sitting with Susie. Their friends had left, PJ and Skyler went off to his apartment, and Teddy was downstairs with Ivy. When she reached the couch, she saw Gabe looking through the folder she'd set down. He looked up at her and tugged his lips back into a half smile.

"You actually took Jonathan's blueprints from him?"

"It wasn't easy, and I learned a few things. You won't be able to do anything without this, however…" She reached into her chest pocket and felt around for the gem, pulling it out after a few seconds. The group stared at it, stunned by its beauty. "He called it a 'Time Crystal' or something.

"A power crystal of some sort," Tommy stated, taking the crystal carefully in his hand. He studied it, smirking as his eyes flipped from the crystal to the blueprints below. "I think we have what we need. Now we just need to build it." Hopefully the process wouldn't be too long, but she was glad they were finally getting _somewhere_. "All right Angelica, we're on a roll now."

"Great! So now that I've done _something_ to help move this on…" She put her hands at her waist and smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes. The group glanced at each other, then back at her, suspicion evident in their gazes. "Maybe you'll let me see my daddy and the other family members?" They frowned and Tommy shook his head.

"Not a chance."

"What?" She gasped, unable to take this rejection well at all. _Especially_ when it came from Tommy! "That's not fair! I risked my life to get those papers and that crystal so you could bring my future daughter and future self back, and you don't even let me get to see how my family's doing in the future?"

"It's not that easy, Angelica…there are some things that you don't understand, and some things you don't _need_ to know right now. You're four, and we don't want to traumatize you. Realize that anything that happens here, now, may affect you…no matter what happens, when you go back to your time, there _will_ be some changes to the future. Maybe minor, but you know…any life with you is better than one without you around."

"But I _promise_ not to change anything! I won't tell anyone anything at all. It's hard enough to do, but I can do it. Jonathan might be a bad man, but I won't tell mommy and…" Her chest ached again and the tears threatened her. "Why can't I…"

"More so…" Tommy lifted up the folder and Angelica wiped her eyes. She still didn't understand what it was keeping her from warning her parents. "You never know what will happen, but from Jonathan's notes here…to go back in time and prevent death is futile…as death will still come." She groaned and let her head fall down onto Susie's shoulder. Tommy lowered the folder and reached over, resting his hand on her arm. "I'm sorry Angelica. I would love to prevent Aunt Charlotte from being dying…but there's nothing we can do."

"Fine." An eerie silence clouded the room. No one dared to breathe, no one wanted to speak a word. The silence was broken by a startling ringing sound, it was Tommy's cell phone. He answered it, and tensed up within minutes. This sent danger signals through her body. She lurched forward, staring nervously at the phone. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I-I'll be there," Tommy replied. His eyes lit up with sadness as he turned his gaze to Susie. "We need to go to the hospital, Susie…that was Dil, he's with Mom and Dad." Angelica whined as Tommy got up from the couch. There was no sense in arguing, she knew she wasn't going to win. However, she was deeply afraid now, there was only one person she knew of that was in the hospital. Her dad. She could only hope nothing serious happened to him.

Minutes later, Gabe had gone off with Tommy and Susie. He wanted to be there, to understand Charlie's birth family some more. Angelica had thrown a fit over not going, but Tommy and Susie convinced her to relax and wait. He was happy that they were going to make some progress where the time machine was concerned. "So what happened?"

"It's Mr. Pickles, Angelica's dad," Susie muttered. They were at the hospital now, and Tommy looked about ready to throw up. Gabe was starting to become immensely worried. "He became really depressed after his wife died, and a few months ago became so ill that he was committed to the hospital. Angelica was doing everything she could to take care of him, nurse him, and make sure he was okay. She visited him each and every day…twenty four seven, practically."

"So he's dependent on her?" Gabe was glad to hear how devoted Angelica was to her father, but the more he thought on it, the more devastating the realization was that struck him. "Angelica's gone missing, so who is taking care of him?" The man would have literally lost everything. Even now, their memory of Angelica was fading away to almost nothing. She would stop fading the minute they sent the four year old Angelica back to her proper timeline.

"Exactly," Tommy replied in the most forlorn tone that Gabe had heard yet. "In the last few days, he's just been getting more and more depressive. Dad says Uncle Drew actually thinks Angelica's given up on him! Now…" Gabe felt a wave of distress over his heart as he began to understand where this was leading. He bowed his head and Tommy carefully closed his hands. "You understand why we couldn't tell Angelica back there? Even now…she doesn't need to know the state her dad's in."

"The call you got from your brother…is your uncle…okay?"

"No." They entered the hospital room where Tommy's family and family friends surrounded a stretcher. On the stretcher was the cold, lifeless body of a man with balding red hair and glasses. Tommy's father and grandfather were standing over him, tears in their eyes.

He felt his knees beginning to buckle and stopped himself, bringing a hand to his mouth and closing his eyes. He could only imagine how Angelica would react, the seventeen-year old Angelica. She must have loved her father, with as often as she visited him, and now this happened? "Oh god…" They couldn't change this, they couldn't put a stop to it. No, what happened in the present and the future simply could not be changed. "I'm so sorry…"

In the Time Bubble, Angelica screamed in sheer agony as her heart shattered into several pieces. Bitter tears drenched her cheeks, her body burned, and fingers curled into her palms. "Dad! No!" She trembled as she was forced to stare at the screen where her father's body lay. "This can't be happening! No! No, no, no, I won't allow it! Not my dad!"

Her body faded even more, flickering like that of a dying streetlight. She clenched her eyes shut and wept for her father. Couldn't this have been avoided? Couldn't she have somehow prevented this death? She took a deep breath and tried to calm her quivering chest. "G-Get a grip…have to stay strong…" This was what Jonathan wanted, wasn't it? For her to disappear completely? Even though her dad's death wasn't something he was responsible for, directly, it was still benefiting to his plan. "Have to stay strong for my baby…"

The first thing she wanted to do when she got out of here was to see Charlie, but that would only be possible _if_ she got out. The group would just have to figure out how to save her once they fixed the time strings. She was anticipating whatever memory change would come her way, but hopefully nothing major, and unfortunately she wouldn't be able to save her father.

"How can this be happening? How? Why! What have I ever done to deserve this?" She continued her frantic sobbing, not even bothering to listen as she heard the doctor's voice coming from the screen. She fought to think of Charlie, to prevent her soul from vanishing forever. This may kill her, it was tearing her apart, but it would _not_ destroy her.

* * *

Your thoughts mi amigos?


	18. Preparing to Leave

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 18 (Preparing to Leave)

Angelica danced about the living room the following day, waiting for everyone to get home from school. She was bored enough, but at least Amy was in the house so she wasn't exactly alone. She'd been watching the woman for the most part, gauging how motherly she was. Amy clearly made a good mother for Charlie. Fortunately, Charlie would know she was adopted relatively soon. If, of course, she didn't already. Since the one thing Angelica was planning on when she went back was scribbling a message for her future self.

She bounced up to the couch and stood Cynthia up in her lap, gazing down with a gentle smile. "You're going to be my messenger, Cynthia. I'm trusting you." In her right hand was a small folded up sheet of paper, and scribbled up on the tiny paper were the words telling her future self to be with her baby and the adoptive family. She pushed the tiny note into the back of Cynthia's dress. Currently it was the only place she could think to put that note, and she knew she never actually took off Cynthia's dress, so the note was in a good place.

Her fingers traced along the collar of Cynthia's dress, slipping in between the cloth and the doll's back. Humming, she called out for Amy, who immediately hurried out into the living room. "Yes dear?" Angelica wanted to make sure the note would be secure, and nothing more. She smiled at Amy.

"Can I have a glue stick, Mommy?"

"Of course sweetie, let me go grab one for you." Amy walked off and Angelica peered down at Cynthia with a sigh. She had to make sure never to lose this doll. If anything, she could try to tell Susie and the babies to remember the promise as well. She simply could _not_ let Charlie go without knowing her birth mother as part of her life. Gabe and Tommy were working on the time machine at school, so that was a plus. "Okay dear." She looked up to see Amy with a glue stick, crayons, and several sheets of paper. "Are you working on an art project sweetheart?"

"Yes Mommy." She took the items and laid them on the table in front of her. Her eyebrow arched high as the woman hurried up the stairs. With a heavy breath, she opened the glue stick and pulled the top of Cynthia's dress back. "Forgive me for this Cynthia, you need to keep this dress on." She glued the fabric and the back edge of the folded note, so it would still open to display her scribbled message. She connected the glued parts, and pressed the dress firmly against Cynthia's back. As long as the paper was permanently glued to the dress, then there wasn't a chance of it falling out. _"At the same time, I might not forget everything from this experience…_"

From what she understood, her future self was distraught over not seeing her daughter, and giving her up for adoption was one of the reasons she didn't visit the Duncan family. She addressed this in the note, saying that it would be just that important for Charlie to know her the same as she knew Mrs. Duncan, and she should not be afraid.

After holding the glued parts in place for about five minutes, she carefully set Cynthia down beside her and moved to the papers and crayons. With a bright smile, she began coloring, drawing the time stream from memory with purple crayons. She drew herself and Charlie in the middle, holding hands, and looking at each other with cheerful faces. On one end of the stream, she drew six faces representing all of the babies. On the other, she drew the Duncan family. In the middle of the stream, above it she drew her future self, trapped in a purple-red bubble. Below the stream, she drew the sinister Jonathan, waiting for her, glaring up at everyone, with his clawed hands raised above his hands. She put fangs in his mouth like a vampire. Her future self she drew with a halo and wings, then gave her a long white dress like that of an angel.

In Tommy's hand, she drew a round time device lifted high in the air. On the end with the Duncan family, she gave Gabe a similar device that he was gazing at with confusion and determination. She drew stars all around the background, then drew fire where Jonathan was. Next to the time bubble that Angelica was in, she drew her mom and father, cuddling close with worried, lost expressions on their faces.

When she heard Amy coming up behind her, she folded her drawing up and quickly pocketed it. She looked up and pat the cushion beside her, and the mother hurried to sit down. Bob walked into the room from the kitchen, munching on a hot pocket. "Mommy, Daddy, we need to talk." Bob sat down beside Amy and put his right arm around her shoulders. The conversation she was about to have with them, they needed to have with Charlie, not her. However, she wanted to make sure they knew what it would be like, even if there would be some changes to the future involving what would go down here. "I know I'm adopted…"

"You _do_?" Amy's eyes opened wide and Bob froze in mid-bite of his snack. Angelica slowly nodded her head and breathed in. Amy bowed her head and closed her eyes. "I was hoping not to have to have this conversation for a while…I guess it's best to know while you're still young. Where did you find out?"

"That man." Amy gasped as Angelica closed her eyes and leaned back in the sofa. "Mr. Jonathan, Spencer's family help, he's a bad man. He mentioned my birth mom, said I was adopted, and he killed my B-Grandma." Amy put her hands to her mouth and Bob lowered his hot pocket. "Is it true, though? I am adopted? You're not my real mom and dad?" Amy looked over at Bob, and he was slightly hesitant to agree.

"It is," he replied, "But we love you just as though you were our own. A young woman gave you to us, and you've changed our lives since. We're a happier family because of you, Charlie, and we will always love you." Her heart lifted as the two parents hugged her close. Before hearing that, she was still somewhat debating telling her mom and dad that Jonathan was dangerous and would kill her mom in the future. Though, fate was fate, and she didn't want to tamper too much.

"If you met my B-Mom, what would you do?"

"She gave you to us," Amy began, still hugging her. She leaned back and closed her eyes. "She's as much a part of this family as you are. At least I would accept her as part if she wanted to be a part of your life…we don't know where she is right now, sweetheart." That was the part Angelica hoped to change when she went back in time. "You know the kids that were hanging out with your brother, Gabe?"

"Yes Mommy?"

"Well that boy, Tommy, he told us that he is your birth mother's cousin. Just as Susie Carmichael is Ivy's cousin." She _loved_ the honesty and the openness that this family had. It was truly turning her on to the possibility that they would take great care of Charlie, no matter what. As much as it pained her, she was now absolutely certain she wouldn't try to stop Jonathan in the past. Tears sprang from her eyes and she quickly swept them away with her finger. "Is there something wrong, baby?"

"I know where my birth momma is, but I haven't seen her." Amy frowned and Bob's eyebrows lifted up into the air. "That man, Jonathan…he did something to her, trapped her somewhere. I don't know where exactly, but I know he did it. I was spying on him in his office, he was talking to someone on the phone…"

"Oh my baby…" Amy quickly leaned forward, pulling her into a tearful hug. "Bob, should we call the police?"

"As much as I think we should, they're going to laugh at us," Bob muttered. Angelica frowned and snapped her fingers. He had a point, the police never listened to the rantings of a four year old girl! They would do nothing! "Not to mention, Charlie climbed into the back of the car, he didn't take her. It wouldn't even be looked as a kidnapping."

What more could there be to say? Quite simply, there was nothing anyone could do about Jonathan. At least not until someone reported Angelica Pickles as missing, or someone older than, say, four, could tell the police that Jonathan had her. "Come to think of it, that man shouldn't be around the family of the woman that he killed. Don't they have laws for that, Bob?"

"I think so."

No longer interested in this conversation, Angelica hopped from the couch and moved to the backyard. She was sick of this waiting period, more so than she'd been before. Her eyes dropped towards the ground and her lips curved back into a scowl as she kicked a rock across the floor. She glanced over to the still open gate and walked over. She put her hand to the fence, tapping her thumb gently. Her right hand dangled down, holding onto Cynthia.

As she scanned the street, a terrifying sight caught her eyes, Jonathan's car was parked on the other side of the road. Her body shook as she stepped back, gazing in shock at the empty front seat. She continued backing up until she backed into someone's legs, then instantly turned around to see Jonathan glaring down at her. A gasp left her lips. "Jonathan!"

"Hello brat, would I be right to assume you have something of mine?" A nervous laugh erupted from her and Jonathan carefully pushed his hands into his pockets. "You see, this is where you tell me if you had something to do with the missing blueprints, or my crystal."

"What are you talking about?" She tried to hide her expression as much as she could. Her eyebrows dipped downwards and her lower lip curled up beneath her teeth. Jonathan raised an eyebrow and growled.

"Spencer told his father how you climbed into my car, Mr. Walsh then came to me. So I know you were at the house…" Jonathan pulled his hands out and held them behind his back, slowly walking around her. Angelica watched him closely, trying to plot her flight from this location. "I know the Duncan family is close to you now…you're starting to trust them, aren't you? I'm sure you'd hate for something bad to happen to them, now wouldn't you?"

"Don't do anything to them! They didn't do anything wrong."

"Au contraire, dear child…they have your daughter. If I can't destroy you, then I'll have to get my revenge another way. By the way, the common hang out spot after school, probably where Tommy is going to take Gabe later with his friends, Java Lava? Have you ever been there? Of course not, but it's owned by the Finster family. All of your friends in one place…" Her heart shot up to her throat. She stammered and quickly brought her hand to her forehead, shivering from her nerves. Jonathan stopped moving and glanced over his shoulder from the corner of his left eye. "Tell me the truth if you want nothing to happen to them. Did you muddle about my desk?"

Before she could answer, the back door started to open. Jonathan growled and slipped out of view, hopefully leaving to his car. Angelica looked up to Bob, breathing heavily. "Dad…" She ran up to Bob and quickly grabbed the edge of his pants. "We need to go to where Gabe is! The Java Lava, we have to go!" Bob reached down and picked her up.

"Calm down, what's the matter Charlie?"

"We have to hurry!"

After several minutes of insisting, she finally convinced Bob to look up the location of the place and drive out to it, leaving Amy behind. When they arrived, she bolted inside and frantically eyed the surroundings. Tommy was at a table with Susie and Gabe. Phil and Lil were listening to Tommy's brother, Dil, over in the corner of the restaurant. Ivy and Teddy were at the front counter, talking to Kimi and Chuckie on the other side, likely ordering a drink.

Nobody appeared happy though, as though they were all discussing bad news. Tommy and Gabe were the only one with determined expressions as they pieced together a similar round device. Over in another booth were adults that Angelica immediately recognized! Aunt Didi and Uncle Stu, Phil and Lil's mom, Betty, and Chas and Kira Finster. Knowing they were all in one spot, she could warn them that Jonathan was up to something.

Bob entered, huffing and puffing wildly as he had to run from the car to the building after her. Everyone in the place looked over at them, startled by her presence. Tommy was the first to speak up. "What are you doing here?" Angelica rushed over to him and tugged on his shirt.

"Jonathan's up to something, I just know it. He's out to get me."

"Well calm down, we're making some finishing touches to this thing…you can go home soon."

"We need to test it on some stuff first," Gabe remarked. Angelica tapped her fingertips together and quickly nodded her head. She looked over to the restrooms and saw an elderly man with a large nose and grey hair tucked behind his ears. She gasped and put her hands to her mouth, Grandpa Lou was still alive! She had to curtail her outburst, otherwise she'd give herself away. Gabe looked over to the elder. "Tommy's grandpa has agreed to volunteer for the first test. If it works, we're good. We'll take you back and bring Charlie here."

"That's great, and how are you going to get my future self back?"

"We'll figure that out," Susie replied.

"Good, 'cause I'm trusting you." She couldn't wait to get back, but at the same time, she was terrified of the things to come. If she left them, would they manage? It was too far into the future for her to worry about, sure, but she couldn't help herself. She bowed her head and whimpered once. "I…don't know how to go back there the same as I left."

"You won't…the things you went through here have happened to you…but look at it this way, you get to share an interesting adventure with all of us." Susie laughed and Angelica raised one eyebrow. What could be shared, the babies back home would just forget the story. Either way, no matter what happened, she was more than happy to swap back into her own timeline.

* * *

Angelica's almost ready to go back, what do you think of her note to her future self? The future/present will be changed, new memories will be made. However, Angelica will not change too much, sadly most of what her older self has gone through will still come to pass.


	19. A Child's Impact

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 19 (A Child's Impact)

Finally, he found her. So he thought. Spencer tapped his thumb on the steering wheel, gazing out at the sunset skies before him as he sped down the freeway. He wasn't going where in particular, he only wanted to drive, leaving himself to his thoughts. The radio was blasting out a jazz tune that he was humming along to. Jazz was often what relaxed him, and he needed a lot of relaxation these days.

There were so many things he wanted to say, but held back on his thoughts. He had been well aware that he was a father, and well aware that Angelica had given up her baby, though he never knew why as she never talked to him. So it came to him a shock when he started to put two and two together, and was certain that Charlie was that child. He might not have been much of a man, but he wanted what all fathers wanted, to see his child. The most he ever got was that he had a daughter, and he had spent years looking for her, though no one was interested in helping him.

The song he'd sang at that battle of the bands a few years ago, Teddy misinterpreted. He sang it for his daughter, and every time a father-daughter song came on the radio, he would cry. In his moments of weakness, he knew he didn't deserve to see her. He was a womanizer, a liar, a cheat, and an overall terrible role model. His father was right to say he was giving the family a bad name, his father was right to say he was an irresponsible prick, albeit not in those exact words. It was enough to drive him insane.

He had a cousin on his phone, which was seated neatly in the cup holder. It was on speaker, as Spencer didn't want to be holding the phone and driving. His cousin was currently talking to his girlfriend, who he'd recently began dating. Zander was always good to talk to, even though sometimes it seemed like the guy just _really_ didn't want to hear it. Sometimes he was able to keep him calm, and sometimes Spencer let him talk about the things going on in his life. Such as this clichéd group of girls at his school, all of whom, besides the two leaders of the group, seemed _extremely_ creepy.

"Hey Spencer, I'm back. Sorry about that…anyway, what's going on?"

"Not much other than what I told you already." He reached down and flipped off the music. His jaw tightened and his eyes zeroed in on the car in front of him, several feet ahead. "I'm just driving. Thinking." He lifted his hand up and scratched his head. His stomach was in knots, which was unsurprising. When Teddy broke up with him, he should have reacted, but how could he? When he saw Charlie-or Angelica's past self-however possible that was, at his home, he was scared for her. "Two things. One, my life's bitten me in the ass and Teddy's broken up with me, _and_ I found out where my kid's at. Just…not Angelica."

He had no desire to hook up with Angelica, especially not since it seemed like Harold was her boyfriend now. He did not want to mess with the guy, not after what he'd done to her. "Oh so she ditched you?" He could practically feel Zander's icy smirk through the phone. Spencer rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze out the side window. "You found out where your kid's at? What are you going to do, man?"

"I don't know…" There was no way in hell Angelica, or Teddy, would let him near Charlie. "Teddy's family is the family that adopted her." He moved his gaze back to the road and frowned upon an oncoming exit. He slowly turned his tires to the right and moved down the ramp. "Dad's pissed because I kept the fact from him all this time…but you know he would have gone ape-shit back then. I mean come on, thirteen years old and getting a girl pregnant? It's not exactly something anyone should be proud of."

"No, it isn't. You're the one that ran when it happened, though. So I can't say I'm surprised that you never knew where your kid was. Although...the fact that your current, or well, now ex-girlfriend's family is the one that adopted her…how did you find out? Obviously you were oblivious."

"I was, until the girl pointed it out herself." As he drove past a park, his eyes landed onto that of a female jogger. She had her hair up in a ponytail, was listening to an ipod, wore really short jogging pants, and had a short purple tank top. He frowned and instantly looked away, finding himself surprisingly uninterested and bored at the sight. He chuckled vainly and closed his eyes. "You're going to be in shock, Zander…I just saw a jogger and thought nothing of her." Zander gasped and Spencer arched an eyebrow high into the air. "Well…"

"That's the first time, usually if you're driving…" His cousin began laughing. Spencer lifted his eyes skyward and exhaled sharply. Every time he saw a jogger, he'd start going on and on about how 'sexy' the woman was, or how he should stop and talk to her, and Zander would make some snippy remark about him getting slapped by the woman. "Anything that would make you not comment on her?"

"Uh…"

"Scale of one to ten, how hot is she?" Spencer pulled his lips back and continued to gaze ahead. He couldn't help but let his mind travel to his time at the ice cream shop. Watching his child enjoying an ice cream cone, it made him smile, gave him a heightened sense of joy and happiness. He wanted more, he wanted to be with his daughter. "Spencer?"

"I don't know, I don't really care…"

"Damn. Let's see…god, at the risk of making myself sound like a demented sicko…cup size?"

"Didn't look." He rolled his eyes and checked the rearview mirror just to see if the jogger was gone. She was rounding the corner. "I think she was about my age, but I don't know. Can we talk about something else?"

"Hold on! I…I have _got_ to document this!"

"Great…" He muttered and rolled his eyes at his cousin. "Am I really that annoying?"

"Yes." He muttered to himself and narrowed his eyes. His hands tensed on the steering wheel and his body started to ache. He wasn't sure why he was the way he was, but now that he was beginning to see it, he was starting to realize just how pathetic he was. "I mean come on…The first time you had sex, which was you-know-who, you freaking boasted about it to the first person you could get a hold of-me! I didn't want to hear about you having sex!" It didn't help that since he had sex at such an early age, it seemed so natural for him. "Then you start dating several girls, making out with various ones, having sex, and-"

"I get it, Zander. Thank you. I'm a womanizer, I know…" He swept away the anxious sweat on his forehead and came to a stop at a red light. Spencer brought his head down on the steering wheel and glanced at the car next to him. There was a woman wearing only her bra, and she seemed in her early twenties, late teens. His stomach twisted as if someone had just gutted him with a knife.

"Look, I'm sorry. All I'm saying is…I know just about everything about your 'love life', you brag about it nonstop…I'm just surprised you never tried to have sex with Skyler or Teddy when you dated them." He groaned and slowly beat his head on the top of the wheel. "Spence? You never had sex with them, right? I god forbid that's the one thing you never told me, but-"

"Never, Zander, thank you. Neither of them were the type to have sex…so can we _please_ not talk about this anymore?" He snapped at his cousin and pressed hard on the gas as the light turned green. "There's a very disturbing sight in the car that was just next to me. College student probably, wearing only a bra…why the hell would someone drive around like that? I mean what kind of message is it sending our kids out there? Think about it! I wouldn't let my kid go out driving like that. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she dressed her kid up like that. She looked like a slut…"

Zander remained silent for several minutes, creating a very awkward tension that Spencer could only describe as maddening. Why be quiet? Why not continue the conversation? "I do agree, that is disturbing…but do, tell me more. Know something that always irritates me, Cuz? The girls that wear shorts so short that you can't even tell if they are wearing anything."

"The other day, I saw this mom and daughter at the mall, right?" Spencer turned the corner, grinding his teeth out of irritation at the memory coming to his head. "Well not only did the mother have a very disgusting outfit, her daughter was wearing some of those shorts, yet she had a long shirt that completely covered the shorts! I almost went up to the mother and asked 'excuse me, but where the fuck are your kid's pants?' Would that have been wrong?"

"I would have done it. You'd freak if you saw Charlie wearing clothes like that, would you?" Spencer's eyes widened and a shudder shot down his spine. There was no way in hell he'd want his daughter wearing something like that, but the Duncan family and Angelica didn't seem at all like they were the type to dress her up in that way. "So what are you going to do? If you want time with your kid, you should talk to the family. Man up, don't be afraid of them. _Sure_ Teddy may want to tear your throat out-"

"Angelica's family's there too."

Zander cleared his throat and coughed. "_Sure_ they may want to tear out your throat as well, but don't be afraid of them! Go and talk to them, don't prolong it. If you've found out she's your daughter, why wait? The worst they can do is say no…I think a father deserves to see his kid, but only if he's not crazy or someone who gets into trouble a lot."

"Again, do I _need_ to remind you that up until now I've pretty much played every woman I came in contact with?"

"So they'll need to see if you've really changed and so forth. Show them." Zander had valid points, it was surprising how smart he was. There wasn't anything holding him back except for fear itself, but he could face them. However, the problem was, they didn't know he was even Charlie's father.

"They don't know I'm the dad…"

"Okay that could be a problem. Have they even talked to Angelica?"

"I have no idea…" He may not know, but he was about to find out. He took a left turn and found himself driving along the family's home street. He smiled as he thought of Charlie. However, when he saw Jonathan's car sitting at the curb, everything crashed to a halt. His heart began pounding as he parked behind the car and stared over at the house.

He didn't know much about Jonathan, besides what was told, and that Jonathan had killed Angelica's mother. He slowly stepped out of the car and looked to the garage, the family car was gone, so what was Jonathan doing here? Taking his phone, he told Zander he'd call him later, then hung up the phone. _"Should I call the police?"_

As he made his way to the front door, he couldn't help but to notice the fence was ajar. He looked over to the home of the Dooley's down the street, Chief Doug was mowing the front lawn. Spencer pondered if he would actually need to grab him, but perhaps it was just paranoia. Truthfully, that was all it felt like to him.

He heard the closing of a car door and glanced back to see Jonathan's car driving off. He frowned and lifted his eyebrows, shrugging the sight off and knocking on the door. He was certain someone had to be home, if not, he'd call up Teddy. Though, the family never left the fence open when they left.

* * *

What are your thoughts on Spencer's slow change? Trust me though, Spencer will not be pairing up with anyone here, I can't see either Angelica or Teddy getting back with him at this point of time. Though, he could start a bid to at least be able to see his birth daughter, perhaps. Also what are your thoughts at the end of this chapter? Suspicious, perhaps?


	20. Back Through the Time Stream

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 20 (Back Through the Time Stream)

"I've almost completely forgotten her," Gabe heard Tommy saying towards Susie. He was frightened for Angelica and the family, as the majority of them were forgetting her. Tommy said he remembered more about her than the rest, but they all still had some bits and pieces left in their memories. "We have to work fast, and I just hope Grandpa hasn't gone back into whatever past and fallen asleep…"

"I have faith this will work," Gabe replied. He had to have faith, this was his baby sister and her birth mom they were talking about, so there was no chance in hell he could let this fail. Tommy's grandfather, Lou had already gone off to the past and was supposed to be back as soon as he found out it worked. "Either your granddad's gone back in time and fallen asleep, started taking advantage of the nostalgia, or…worst case scenario…the device didn't work." Tommy scowled at the air and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over angrily. "It'll be okay, we'll get this done…"

They were still at the Java Lava, and his father was still talking to all of the adults in the back corner booth. Tommy's friends, and Angelica, were all with them at the opposite end of the restaurant. They were somewhat out of view of the rest, who were managing to go without the knowledge or realization of the time traveling, mostly due to Stu distracting the adults. "Up until three years ago, but even after sometimes, I've always been the one to have Angelica's back. It's always been me. I'm her cousin, so if something went wrong, _I_ had to take care of the situation." Gabe raised an eyebrow as Tommy tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. The rest looked over at him with forlorn expressions. It was good to talk about Angelica, to try and remember her regardless, in which case, it would be harder to simply forget. "Just because she's been cruel to us growing up, that's all. I remember when she turned thirteen and had her birthday party, that Savannah chick threw a party purposely so no one would show up at Angelica's…so who was the one that tricked Savannah into calling it off?"

Chuckie pointed at Tommy and spoke with a flat tone, "You did." Tommy cleaned his throat and smacked the table with his hand, making everyone jump in their seats.

"That's _right_. I've always had her back, despite everything, and I'm not about to fail her again. This has _got_ to work!" Gabe was impressed, and proud, of just how loyal Tommy was to his family. After everything Angelica put them through as babies and growing up, one would think Tommy didn't have to do this. Most would assume her disappearing would be a good thing. Tommy lowered his head and brushed his palms against his forehead and through his hair, sighing heavily. "Everything in me is telling me to give up, that it'll be too late, but I can't do that. She wouldn't give up on me, she wouldn't give up on Charlie, and I refuse to give up on her."

"It's rough, but I think I'd miss her if she was gone," Phil admitted. His sister nodded her head and Tommy started to roll his eyes. Gabe looked away from the table to where Angelica was spinning next to Susie. The two of them were singing with each other, and having a good time. A sadness came over him as he wondered what might happen if Lou never came back. The current Angelica may fade from existence because her past self was still here, Charlie would reach the year 2009 in the past and pass away somehow, and then the past Angelica would be stuck here in this time. A lump formed in his throat and he nervously tugged on his collar.

"So, if everything starts going bad, who is going to take care of Angelica?" Lil inquired. Gabe tore his gaze from the dancing and singing girl and looked back to the group. Lil was rubbing her forehead and gazing over at Angelica with misty eyes. "We won't remember anything of her after 1999, but at least we'll still remember _her_. Maybe…"

"She's my cousin," Tommy growled, clearly irritated with the whole prospect of failing. "If we can't save her, then I'll be the one to take care of Angelica's past self." Beside Tommy was Dil, his brother with messy red hair. Dil smiled at him and pat his back.

"But that won't happen, right bro?" Dil asked. The boy was actually the closest to completely forgetting Angelica, since he was the youngest. They were all fighting the fading memories, just as Angelica was probably fighting her own disappearance in whatever 'bubble' she was caught up in. "We'll get both our cousins back. Angelica and Charlie. We have to, Grandpa will come through…He knows what day and time to set the device on, right?"

"Yeah, we gave him all those specifics. The other thing that pisses me off, I never got to meet Charlie." Gabe frowned at the group, watching as they all bowed their heads. They'd all spoke of that tragedy many times over the past few days.

"Angelica never let you guys meet her?" Gabe asked. Thankfully they would be meeting Charlie soon, though if they were afraid like he was, they would probably be thinking she'd never be saved. He was so frightened that he'd almost chewed off his nails in despair, he never should have lost his sister. Tommy lifted his head and slowly shook it.

"It's not that she never _let_ us meet her, it's just…Charlie's adoption was supposedly a closed one. We never knew who the family that adopted her was. _Susie_ did, but even she didn't fully go see her, she only got news through Ivy." Gabe raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, did Ivy know Charlie was Angelica's daughter? No, that was impossible, because she would have spoken up if she did. "Charlie's a big part of why we're working so hard, because I know that if we were to fail Angelica, she would want us to save Charlie most." Tommy scratched his hair and groaned. "This is one adventure I wish never happened, there's no way to be the brave one here."

Angelica performed a curtsey to finish her song and dance routine with Susie, who was applauding her. She smiled brightly, her tiny heart racing with excitement in her chest. Her eyes shifted over to the group at the table, she'd been hearing everything they were saying. She was frightened too, but tried hard not to let it show. She had faith that her grandpa would come back with a working time device, and that she'd go back to see Charlie returned here.

She overheard them discussing the reason Jonathan's time devices broke down whenever he got back to the present, and that was due to the time crystal being too big. So what they had done was created a _bigger_ time device to place the crystal in, in which case, the device should not break down or overheat. If she had to be stuck in the future, she may as well start making a plan for her life growing up.

Tommy was very admirable, devoted to both Charlie and herself. She was grateful for this, and would always care for her cousin no matter what. The other thing that came to her mind, she didn't want to be afraid of seeing Charlie in the future and letting her grow to know both her adoptive mother and birth mother. This was the reason for the note glued to Cynthia. She gazed down at the doll with a subtle smile and held her close to her chest.

Angelica hopped up to the table, catching everyone's attention. She hugged Tommy's neck, tears dripped along her cheeks as her cousin slowly pat her back. "I'm going to miss you guys when I get back to my own time. I mean, I know you'll all be there, but, you know what I mean…I won't forget this…"

"Try not to change things too much," Tommy reminded her. She smirked and stepped back, putting her hands to her hips.

"Like you would know. I won't change things too much, but I can't promise there won't be a few." If she understood the whole time process properly, then whatever she did in the past to affect the future, they wouldn't know. Their memories would simply be altered to the point that whatever changed would be the only thing they knew as true. "I just wanted to say thank you…" Tommy smiled at her and closed his eyes.

"No problem, 'Cuz." She giggled and spun on the table. Tommy yelped and reached out. "Careful! Don't fall off." She caught herself and laughed.

"I'm good." She just wanted to distract them from the prospect of their possibly failing. There was too much sadness in the air, too much depression, and not enough time to be worrying about failure.

A sudden gust of wind blew her into Tommy's lap, causing her to yell out in anger. Everyone looked up just as a purple, smoky portal began to appear. Her eyebrows rose and her heart skipped a beat as Lou stepped out of the portal. He was wearing a lei and had a ukulele around his neck. "Sorry I'm late," Lou began, "I just had to have some fun at the luau." Tommy smacked his forehead and Angelica quickly hopped off him.

"You're back, Grandpa!" She hugged his legs and beamed as he bent over and rubbed her head. The rest moved from the table, all complaining about his stopping to travel. It wasn't truly a problem to stop and smell the roses. She didn't care how long it took, the fact that he was back was great! He was still holding the working time device, which was a larger grenade-looking device with a red button on the top.

"That was more excitement than an old coot like myself can handle." He tossed the device to Tommy, who grabbed it with a yelp. "Take it back Squirt, it's time to get Charlie back here and Angelica back there. I'm done with my fun." Tommy sighed heavily and Gabe started to smile. Angelica laughed happily and jumped in place.

"Yes! I'm finally going home!" Now she was the impatient one, as Tommy and the others were discussing the time and day of getting her back in the past. She was so excited that the room was beginning to spin. "Come on guys, I'm tired of waiting! Can we _please_ hurry this up? I have stuff to do." She had to wonder what she would do once she got back, how she would treat the babies. Exactly the same, of course, but with some extra compassion. At least she was comforted in knowing that even this many years into the future, they would still be loyal to her and would still love her. To her, that was what mattered the most in this moment, aside from getting Charlie back here. Tommy walked over to her and knelt beside her with Gabe. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "What's the hold up?"

"No hold up," he replied. "Gabe and I will be going back with you, and we'll be bringing Charlie back. I'm just wondering if you're going to be all right, not feeling sick or anything?"

"Not at all, let's just do this. I'm sick of waiting…" Tommy's lips curled into a smirk. He rose up, tapping his thumb gently on the side of the device.

"Fair enough."

In 1999, on the same day Charlie was sent back, she was sitting with Tommy's group minutes after Jonathan said he was about to take her home. Didi had called him away for something she'd made in the kitchen. She was not looking forward to going off with Jonathan, especially after hearing how he'd dealt with that device. "So in about ten minutes I'm leaving with a very creepy man," Charlie said with a slight chuckle.

"I'll be there," Tommy replied. She wasn't too sure how much of a comfort that was, and really wanted to go home. If Jonathan tried anything, then what exactly was Tommy supposed to do? How on earth could he possibly help her and go up against a grown man?

"No offense Tommy, but I don't think you'd be able to handle Jonathan." She fell back against the grass and gazed up at the clouds, whining her fear. If Jonathan was responsible for her B-Mom being pulled back into the future, then she truly feared the worst. "What are my chances?"

"I'd say pretty good," Susie answered. She raised an eyebrow and slowly sat up, concerned that her new friend had just lost her mind. "Look!" Susie was pointing at what appeared to be a growing purple cloud just a few feet away from them. Recognizing it as the same time portal that sent her back here, she quickly jumped up in shock and relief. Her heart pounded and her body started to heat up. The others stepped up behind her and murmured their awe at the sight. "Isn't that the thing that brought you here?"

"It _is_." Was it a good thing, though? Charlie held her breath and started to move towards it. Her timid step stopped when she saw Angelica walking out with her hands on her hips. The babies behind her gasped and Charlie's jaw dropped. There she was, her mother! "I-It's her, my B-Mom…" Angelica smiled at her and looked back, waving her hand through the air.

"What are you waiting for, come on!" Charlie's heart jumped from her chest as she eyed the stream with a sense of longing. Who else was coming? Angelica closed her eyes and breathed in. "It's a lot different _walking_ through there rather than being sucked through it." Angelica moved towards Charlie and tapped her chin. "So. You're my daughter from the future?" Charlie tried to speak, but it only came out in a stutter. She clenched her eyes shut and ran forward, hugging Angelica. This was too much like a dream to her. Angelica gasped out and smiled at her. "H-Hey what are you doing? You all right?"

"I'm fine, it's just…" She took a step back and wiped her eyes. Behind Angelica, the older Tommy, and Gabe walked into view. She gasped and bounced for joy. "Gabe! Brother Gabe!" Gabe had tears in his eyes. His mouth opened into a smile and he knelt down, spreading his arms out as she ran for him. When she hugged him, he lifted her up and laughed.

Finally she would be able to go home, and hopefully, she'd see her birth mom then. "Are you ready to go back?" Gabe asked. She nodded her head and looked over to the babies to thank them for being there for her. Little Tommy was eyeing his older self with shock. His lips curved into a grin and he quickly scratched at his bald head.

"Not only do I grow hair, I look good when I'm older!"

"There's a lot you'll get to experience," Older Tommy remarked, giving his younger self a cool wink. "Now…let's get back before I see Jonathan and get tempted to beat him into a bloody pulp, shall we?"

As they started back into the time stream, Charlie couldn't help but to turn back and wave at everyone. "Thank you! Bye-bye everybody! I'll never forget any of you!" Tommy chuckled and Angelica's eyes lit up with joy as she waved back.

"I know you won't, Charlie!" Angelica looked down to Cynthia and breathed in. "I know you won't…"

* * *

So Angelica and Charlie are back where they ought to be, though the future Angelica's still trapped in that bubble but not fading away as she was. There will be a couple things different, as Angelica _is_ changing one thing about the future. So we'll see the birthing of a new memory come about. I've had to handle this change with care XD. Anyway, tell me what you thought of this chapter and how everything went ^_^


	21. The New Memory

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 21 (The New Memory)

Angelica's seventeen year old, misty eyes slid open and a grown fell from her lips. Her hair was down in front of her face and in her lips. Her body ached, still hung in the air within the time bubble. She'd almost faded away completely, but much to her astonishment, her body had suddenly become that of full flesh. Her bones and muscles had returned! _"Finally, I'm back…"_ She panted and turned her eyes towards the observation screens, whimpering slightly, still trying to conceive what just happened. Her baby was back home, finally safe! _"That's all that matters." _

Tommy and Gabe truly came through, impressively so, but now they just needed to figure out how the hell to get her out of this bubble! She still wanted to kill Jonathan once she got out of here, but that would have to wake. Her memories had changed a slight bit, and it would appear that everyone knew of her. Instead of the old memory that had been completely erased, a brand new memory overtook her mind. Considering she no longer had to fight a fading existence, she could freely let these memories play for her with no risk of trauma.

_ Two months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Angelica Pickles, scrambled through her attic, looking through old storage boxes of the items that reminded her of her mother. Her dad wasn't doing so hot these days, but then, his health had been failing him since her mom's death. Now there was a chance Jonathan may get out of prison in a few months. This scared the hell out of her, since that man had been after her ever since she could remember. _

_ It was a distant memory, but she could vaguely recall stealing something from his office and pissing him off. She turned her eyes to a small cardboard box and hummed, smiling gently as she reached for it. "I wonder if I put Cynthia in here. I can't even remember what I did with her…" Since her mother's passing, she'd put Cynthia away and focused solely on her father. She still wanted to see Charlie, desperately wanting to love her daughter, but she'd been too scared to interact with the Duncan family. What would she even say? Would they judge her for having had a baby at such an early age?_

_ Susie often checked up on Charlie for her, albeit through her cousin Ivy. Ivy wasn't completely knowledgeable about Charlie's situation, but that was fine._

_ Angelica pulled the box over and started to open it. The scent of pine touched her nose, filling her with a pleasurable feeling. This was Cynthia's box, of that she was sure. After all, she put a pine air freshener in the box to give Cynthia a feeling of home. Sure enough, inside the warm cardboard was the nonchalant face of her childhood doll looking up at her. She grinned and carefully pulled her from the box, holding her close. "I found you, Cynthia!"_

_ In some ways, this doll reminded her of her mother, as her mother was the one who got it for her when she was a little baby. When she was thirteen, he nearly lost the doll, but Susie and Harold helped to get it back. It was a difficult effort, but she never gave up. There was something to this doll that she wasn't sure of, as if Cynthia had some important message to give to her. She could feel a pull towards her. _

_ She heard Harold and Susie calling her from below and quickly descended the wooden ladder that led down from the attic. Cynthia was close in hand. Excitement flooded her veins as she charged into her living room and sat down with the doll. Her home wasn't much, ever since her mom died, she and her dad had to move into a much smaller apartment. Even now, with her dad's failing health, they could barely afford this apartment. _

_ Harold and Susie walked over to her, and Harold's eyes landed on the doll. "Is that what you were looking for?"_

_ "I guess, I just felt like I should bring her out of her box." She shrugged her shoulders and gingerly smoothed her finger along Cynthia's coarse hair. Her heart started to break as tears began to fill her eyes, much to her chagrin. She'd become an emotional wreck ever since she gave up her baby, and the reason she put Cynthia away to begin with was a void that the doll couldn't fill. "I still want to see my baby…I miss my mom, my dad's not getting any better, and I'm sitting here alone with a childhood doll. I hate it…"_

_ "You're not alone," Susie remarked, "You have us." She scoffed and closed her eyes. As if they made her feel any better. There was nothing she had against them, but even they couldn't fill the void within her. She wanted to be a mother, ever since she gave Charlie up, she wanted to be there for her. Yet, she couldn't. "I know you want to see your baby, there's no reason you can't try to make yourself known to that family."_

_ "No I can't, they wouldn't want me around." Susie and Harold sat beside her, with her in the middle, and put their hands to her shoulders. She glared down at Cynthia and moved her fingers along the top of the doll's dress. "You know…I've always wondered why her shirt's glued to her back."_

_ "You never looked to find out?" _

_ "Never cared to." She may as well look, what was the harm? She needed something to get her mind off thinking about her daughter. It annoyed both her best friend and boyfriend, Harold, to no end. Every day almost, she thought about Charlie, and every night she wished to see her. She never wanted to take Charlie away from the Duncan family, she wouldn't dream of doing that, because the little girl made them so happy! "I guess I can take a look, I just don't remember gluing her dress like that."_

_ "You must have, no one else ever had her, remember?"_

_ "True…always thought maybe it was Tommy or Dil, or one of his friends that did it." She started tugging on the dress, grunting as the entire thing was stuck to her back, save a small portion in the middle. After a few extra tugs, she finally managed to tear the dress from the glue. Her heart sank down as a glaring tear taunted her. "Great, the dress is messed up now…"_

_ "It's old, but I'm sure you can buy new doll clothes for her." _

_ "They wouldn't be Cynthia originals though." She muttered and carefully removed the dress, groaning at the now nude doll. She could hear the distinct sound of paper crinkling inside, and pushed her finger through the neck hole. Feeling a piece of folded paper was startling to her, so she quickly turned the dress inside out and stared down at an old, brownish sheet of paper. "What the hell?" Upon seeing the paper, she could distinctively remember gluing it there when she was extremely young. Her eyebrows rose and she began to unfold the paper._

_ "What do you think it says?" Harold asked._

_ "I'm not sure…" Much to her surprise, when she went in to read, she recognized it as that of her own handwriting from when she was only four years old. It was barely legible, but still written well enough for her to tell what it was saying. "It's…it's a message for me, from me…"_

_ "Angelica, you might not remember going to the future, but that's not important. One day you're going to have a baby and give her to a wonderful and loving family. She will miss you…be a part of her life, the family won't judge. They're nice. You'll be happy, and so will your family, and the Duncan family…"_

_ Tears welled up in her eyes, her lungs deflated and her stomach flipped in place. How could she have written this? How could she have known about any of that? Susie and Harold were speechless. "Angelica?"_

_ "W-What?" She let Cynthia fall towards the floor. Her chest ached for her to release a cry, but she fought against it. She moved her hands to her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know what…all that means…how could I have written that?" She did remember bits and pieces of going into the future, but she always thought it was a dream._

_ She remembered a drawing that she'd done, of two girls in a time stream and their families on the outside edges. Above was a sad angel, and below was the demon responsible. "Charlie would be two years old now…I wonder how she'd be if she got older and didn't know she was adopted, or who you were. Maybe she'd go along without even caring, or maybe she would wonder, but never know. Is it worth it to you for her to never know you? All you've been is sad and depressed these last few years, maybe actually being a part of her life would make you happier…"_

_ "Maybe…" _

_ A few days later, after intensive thought over the note she'd found scribbled on Cynthia, Angelica was carefully making her way towards the front door of the Duncan home. Beside her was Susie, Harold hadn't been able to be there. They'd talked with Ivy, who spoke with the Duncans, who in turn were able to tell Charlie about her. She'd even been able to speak with Charlie over the phone! It was a relief to hear her voice._

_ Now, however, she was a ball of terror waiting to go off like a firecracker. How on earth would she be able to go in there and know what to say? She looked to her right from the porch and smiled nervously at the elderly woman at the house next door. The lady was watching her closely. She jumped when she felt Susie's hand on her back. "You're going to be all right Angelica. They're _happy_ to meet you, remember? Ivy said that…"_

_ "I know, I'm just..I don't know what's going to happen. I'm scared." She took a deep breath and whimpered at the door. Much to her astonishment, Susie reached over and knocked for her. She screamed out once and quickly grabbed Susie's arm, leaning close and speaking with a frantic voice. "What did you do? I wasn't ready! They're going to kill me, Susie…" Susie looked at her with an arched brow and shook her head. _

_ "They're not going to do that. Ivy said they weren't judgmental." _

_ "I know! But come on, I was thirteen when I got pregnant through that jackass. Fourteen when I had a baby. Everyone judges that! They'll call me a slut, they'll call me names. They're judging me, I know they are!" She didn't hear the door open, and continued her rant, stopping only when she heard a mature woman's gentle voice embracing her eardrums. She slowly looked over, whimpering at the mother of the family, and a taller girl that she recognized as Teddy. _

_ "We don't know you," Amy said with a subtle smile. "We don't know what happened, so why would we judge you? What we do know is, you're the girl that gave Charlie to us, and you deserve to be a part of her life." Angelica was amazed, and a bit surprised. She didn't know of anyone that would be willing to accept someone who got pregnant at such an early age. Her eyes flooded with tears as Amy turned sideways and called into the house. "Charlie, she's here."_

_ "My B-Momma?" Charlie's voice tantalized her, enchanting her ears as a sweet melody. She put her hands to her chest and gazed in at the small girl standing behind the two, close to the couch. Charlie had a stuffed bunny in her left hand. She was rubbing her eye with her right hand. The young girl looked up at her and gave her a timid smile. "Hi."_

She'd become such close friends with the family now, and they accepted her as though she was their own. She'd been seeing Charlie almost every weekend at this point. It wasn't a lot, but it was a start. Charlie knew her cousins Tommy and Dil, along with Uncle Stu and Aunt Didi. Even Grandpa Lou enjoyed taking Charlie on his hiking trails with his grandkids. Angelica also would go on vacation with the Duncan family from time to time, and Teddy was of course, her best friend aside from Susie.

Teddy never pressured her about the guy who got her pregnant, Spencer. Even when she started to date Spencer, Angelica never wanted to say anything. Teddy had been beginning to pick up the hints, though, considering Angelica avoided him at every turn. She did tell Teddy nearly two months ago, and ever since, Teddy had been trying to do well just dating him without feeling entirely awkward.

From the observation window in this bubble, she'd seen many things happen that terrified her. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about her dad, or who she was going to stay with. In fact, a changed memory now was that Bob and the Duncan family, minus Amy, went to meet with the Pickles family at the Java Lava to discuss her living arrangements. She simply could not afford to live in that apartment while trying to go to school.

She wanted to blame Jonathan, but he wasn't directly responsible, so she couldn't. He may be trying to kill her by putting her in this bubble, but she would get out. One way or another, she would get out, and she would tear him limb from limb.

He was _not_ taking away her happiness again. "Come on Tommy, Gabe, everyone…" She breathed in deep and tilted her head back, bellowing out. "Get me out of here!"

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Well what are your thoughts? Of course some things have changed, and over the chapters I'm trying to ease into the fact that things are a bit different. Namely, Angelica's now involved in the Duncan family's life.


	22. Tragedy Strikes Again

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

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Chapter 22 (Tragedy Strikes Again)

Spencer rang the doorbell and waited as his eyes drifted towards Mr. Dooley. The man was watching him with concern, knowing already Teddy broke up with him. He knew Angelica had been hanging with the Duncan family for a year or so now, but was unsure if they knew he was the birth father. After his mishap with Skyler, Angelica was sure to tell them, but she was missing now. He _still_ wanted to talk with them, to apologize and try to spend time with his daughter. After taking Charlie to get ice cream and dropping her off the other day, he couldn't get it out of his head that he actually _wanted_ to be a part of his daughter's life. He'd do anything for that chance.

Mr. Dooley called out to him from the other yard, "The family went down to the coffee shop!" Spencer raised an eyebrow as the man crossed over to the house. "Bob and the kids left a little bit ago, told me they were heading over to talk to Angelica's family about possibly letting her stay with them." Spencer's eyebrows rose and his jaw fell open. This could pose a bit of an issue for him, but likely not. Either way, if Angelica moved in with them, those dagger-like glares from her would surely be the death of him. He shook away the thought and pointed to a car in the garage.

"Mrs. Duncan's car's still there, did she go with them?"

"No, she had to stay behind and grab a few things first." He nodded and looked towards the open fence, still a bit unnerved at the sight. Jonathan mentioned to him once before, having something to do with Angelica's disappearance. He said it in a bit of a sneering tone, considering Spencer questioned him regarding what Charlie told him when he found her stumbling around the house. Jonathan threatened him with a death if he tried to go to his father, so he had been keeping quiet, fearing for his own parents or even Charlie.

"My dad's assistant was just here…" Mr. Dooley raised an eyebrow and followed his gaze to the open fence. Immediately the man's face dropped as Spencer knocked on the door once more. "He said he had something to do with Angelica's disappearance…some kind of book…"

"Why would he come here?"

"He knows Charlie…Charlie is my daughter, the Duncan's adopted her from Angelica." The officer cursed under his breath and quickly reached to the gun that was always attached to his hip, whether on the job or not. The tension within Spencer's chest increased as Amy once more did not answer the door. "Too many things are off…Mrs. Duncan's car's still here, she wouldn't leave without closing the garage or the fence, and Jonathan…didn't Angelica finger him for the murder of her mom?"

"Yes. If he knows Charlie is her daughter, it might give him motive for hanging around the house. Try the door…" He reached for the doorknob and slowly turned it, not surprised to see it wasn't locked. When they opened the door, Spencer was immediately floored at the nightmarish sight.

Amy was lying on the floor, her hand over her chest, and a pool of blood beneath her. She was moaning painfully and slowly turning her head as tears fell from her eyes. Spencer's heart crashed and his body went numb as angry thoughts raced through his mind. "Mrs. Duncan!" Amy moaned once more and he immediately rushed to her side, kneeling down and trying his best not to panic, if at all possible. "Hold on! Mr. Dooley's here!" He looked up to Mr. Dooley, adrenaline racing through his veins as his heart threatened his chest. The man immediately grabbed his cell phone and started dialing up the paramedics and police.

"S-Spencer," Amy groaned painfully, taking his hand and looking up into his eyes. Blood was trickling from her mouth, mixing with the tears and mucus running along her face. "I can't feel my legs…" He looked from the wound in her chest to her thighs and let out a loud scream upon seeing blood gushing from a wound on her left leg. Mr. Dooley looked over and cussed. Spencer reached for the wound, trying to cover it up and wincing as the cold liquid violently pummeled his fingers. "That won't work…" She gasped for air and started to reach for folded clothes on the couch. He looked over, tears running along his face. Had she been finishing up laundry? What happened? Did Jonathan really do this? He wanted to find the man, to tear his head from his shoulders! First things first, he needed to make sure Mrs. Duncan was safe. "Pressure…apply pressure…hurry…"

"R-Right!" He grabbed the clothes and immediately applied them to her wounds on the thigh and chest, pressing down as hard as he could with each hand. Mr. Dooley rushed over and began to press down on the hip, instructing him to use both hands on the chest wound. Amy tilted her head back, releasing a violent scream as he pressed down. "I'm sorry Mrs. Duncan. You'll be okay!"

"Toby…where is Toby…" In that moment, he could hear the baby crying from nearby. He leaned towards the right and saw Toby on the floor beside the couch, he was facing up and flailing his arms. "Where is my baby?"

"He's okay, but he's on the ground." What was he supposed to do? He couldn't move! Mr. Dooley instructed him to get Toby off the ground and reached for the chest covering. Spencer immediately grabbed up Toby and held him close, watching mournfully as Amy groaned once more. He looked down and examined Toby for any wounds, but the baby had none. "Okay, it's good, he's okay…did he fall?"

"I was holding him when…_he_ came in…When I saw the gun, I hid behind the couch and put Toby down. He grabbed me and pulled me back around the couch and I tried to run…he shot me and I fell here…" She spoke with gasping breaths, trying to explain everything that happened in case she didn't survive. He knew what she was doing, this was the sort of thing they trained nurses to do with victims, the victim needed to tell the first responders whatever they could in the case they may not make it. "He shot me in the chest and ran off, hearing a car outside."

"Shit…was it…was it _him_? Jonathan? My father's assistant?"

"Yes…" Spencer began to pale and resisted the urge to punch a wall, he needed to continue keeping Toby calm. Much to his relief, he could hear the sirens approaching from outside. Surely, Amy would be okay! How was he supposed to tell his father about Jonathan, though? The man couldn't be stupid enough to go back there after this.

Charlie sat at the table of Java Lava, bouncing happily on Grandpa Lou's leg. They were in a corner booth with Tommy, Gabe, Teddy, Bob, Aunt Didi and Uncle Stu. Currently, Bob was talking about the possibility of Angelica moving in with them after Drew's death. She was ecstatic at this possibility, her B-Mom had become so close to her over the last year of her constant visitations. She almost didn't want to think that she was growing closer to her than her adoptive mother, it was something that concerned her, but she had so much in common with her B-Mom! She was smart like her B-Mom, and her personality seemed close to what Angelica's was.

"Amy suggested it really," Bob was leaning forward and had his hand flat in the air as he spoke to Stu. Over time, the times she spent with her Granduncle were full of fun. He always had some crazy invention to show off, then Tommy had some crazy story about how the said invention _failed_. "When Tommy told us about Drew's passing, Amy suggested Angelica moving in with us because of how close she'd grown to Charlie. We could use an extra hand around the house, and Angelica could share the bedroom with Teddy."

"I don't have any problems with it," Didi shifted her glasses up and looked over to Charlie with a smile. "Angelica's always going on and on about how happy Charlie makes her. Wherever she is now…she's going to be so broken when she hears her father's gone…"

"That's another thing my wife thought about. We think if Angelica's at the house with Charlie, it can be somewhat….meditative?" Didi slowly nodded her head, leaning back with a sigh.

"Thinking back to my books, Lipshitz says having a baby and family to take care of during times of tragedy can be a good remedy. It gives a person someone to care about, to focus on, to keep going. It would help too, since we don't have any room to take care of Angelica right now…"

"I want to see B-Momma!" Charlie enthused. Granddad Lou laughed and Tommy reached over, rubbing her head. They probably thought she didn't understand Angelica's disappearance, but for some reason, she thought Spencer's assistance was behind it. She saw the man once and immediately didn't trust him. "Where is she?"

"We're looking," Gabe replied sadly. "We don't know exactly…"

"No, we know Jonathan's behind it," Tommy growled lowly, narrowing his eyes. "He told us, remember? It's a little fuzzy, but he told us something about that damn book of his…"

"Right…and how would we even get that book?"

"We might have to talk to…Spencer…" Tommy's hands closed into fists on the table. Gabe pat his back and shook his head. Bob's phone began going off, the man grabbed for it and within seconds the color drained from his face. Teddy looked over at him, her expression turning to worry.

"Something wrong, Dad?"

"It's Amy. She's at the hospital!" Charlie stopped bouncing on Lou's leg and froze, eyeing her adoptive dad with wide eyes. "We need to go." She was immediately concerned for her mother's safety, she wasn't sure what it was, but deep inside she could feel a terrible sensation. Now _both _her mothers were in danger! She couldn't bear to lose one, much less, _both!_

When they arrived at the hospital, PJ was already there with Toby, possibly having been the one to call. He was standing at his mother's side, tears in his eyes. Charlie whimpered as she ran in through the door, Teddy in hot pursuit. When she saw Spencer sitting in one of the chairs with Mr. Dooley, she froze up. Teddy glared at him and he lifted his hands. The rest of the family entered with Tommy and his parents and brother behind him.

Charlie tore her gaze from Spencer and ran towards Amy, reaching up and crying out. She heard the woman groan and turn her head down, smiling weakly at her. "C-Charlie, hey…" Relief swept over Charlie's anxious heart, her mother was _alive!_ Bob rushed to Amy's side and took her hand, kneeling beside and apologizing for leaving her behind. Charlie could see Toby in Amy's other arm, curled into a ball and snoozing on her chest. "All that matters is my baby's safe. Did you talk to Angelica's family about…what we discussed?"

"Yes," he replied between sobs. "They said it would be all right, we'll have to talk to Angelica about it whenever she's found. I'm glad you're okay. You're safe." Amy closed her eyes and sniffed. Charlie felt a teardrop fall onto her hand and instantly sat down beside the metal leg on the bed.

"They said…they said I won't walk again, Bob. He shot me twice…in my hip and my chest…" Bob gasped out and Teddy exclaimed. Amy's voice lowered to a whisper, but her words still touched Charlie's ears. "The bullet is still in my chest, Bob. If they remove it, I'll die, but…" The woman's voice cracked and a sob left her lips. Charlie looked up to see her mother trembling. "Leaving it in where it is will cause organ failure…I have maybe one to four years…" Bob froze, letting out shuddering gasps. His breathing became labored and Charlie's eyes started to grow. She didn't quite understand what Amy's words meant, but she knew just by appearance that it wasn't good.

"No! It can't be!"

"Bob, I…I'm sorry…" Bob lowered down to hug his wife while Teddy, Gabe, and PJ quickly surrounded them. Charlie moved her eyes towards the wall, whimpering under her breath. Her mother was trapped somewhere, and it _sounded_ like her adoptive mother was going to die. This _couldn't _be happening! She wanted to run, but knew it wouldn't be right. She heard Amy mention Jonathan as the man that did it, and immediately she grew angry. She wanted to go after the man that did this, but figured it wouldn't be a good idea. "I love you, all of you…"

"I've had enough of Jonathan," Tommy muttered aggressively. Spencer stepped next to him, gazing sorely at Amy. "Do you have any idea where he is? Am I right in thinking he's behind Angelica's disappearance?" Spencer lowered his voice and nodded his head.

"Yes. He told me the other day…when Charlie was stumbling around the place…" Charlie raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the mention of her name. She hadn't _been_ here to stumble around Spencer's house, and why would she? "She told me Jonathan did something, so I questioned him about it, and he confessed to having used some sort of spell book or something…Angelica's trapped somewhere. Some kind of bubble, I don't know…" Her eyes widened and her heart leapt into a panic. This was all too much! "He wanted revenge or something…threatened if I came forward with that knowledge…someone was going to die…"

"Mrs. Duncan?"

"I don't know if he meant her or not, because I haven't told anyone…I've been too afraid…" He started to bow his head and clench his fist. She could see his jaw clenching and raised an eyebrow at him. "If he shows his face, he's dead meat." Teddy turned to him and folded her arms over.

"If you see him, or if you know how to get that book, give us a call," Teddy replied. "For what he did to my mother…you better do something."

"I will…I don't know what book he was talking about, but if anything, it's in his office."

"Do you think he'd go back for it?" This time Dil spoke up, scratching his head. Tommy glanced to him for a second, then back to Spencer. "Knowing that he's behind it, would he be stupid enough to go back there?"

"Maybe not. I'll check the office for that book…if it brings Angelica back to all of you." Charlie caught him glimpsing over at her and smiling vaguely, she leaned her head back and gazed with suspicion. Spencer looked back to the others, newfound determination on his face. "I'll do whatever it takes to help." Why the sudden interest in helping, she wondered. If he thought it would put him on better terms with Teddy, then no. She heard of the breakup, with how he tried to pressure Skyler to sleep with him because Teddy wouldn't.

Either way, their relationship was the least of her worries.

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I think Jonathan's got a lot gunning for him by now. Your thoughts on this emotionally gripping chapter?


	23. Retrieving the Book

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 23 (Retrieving the Book)

He hadn't been able to tell them yet about his having fathered Charlie, and he was certain that it would be something to keep him from being together with Teddy again. Spencer already accepted their relationship was over, currently, that was not the relationship; he was fighting for. _"I want a relationship with my daughter."_ Charlie meant the world to him now, he needed to let them know this! No matter what, he wanted to be a father, even if it was only weekly or monthly visits.

He trudged into his living room and found his father staring at him with the same disappointed look as earlier. There was a hint of concern in his eyes as he knew Spencer was the one that found Amy. His father was simply still angry over having been told that his son fathered a child and never brought it up. "Dad, I've decided on something…" His father's eyebrow scrunched up and his nose wrinkled up, scrunching tight as it often did when his father was angry.

"I've decided I want to take responsibility. I…I want a chance to see my daughter, I will even pay child support." The man's expression softened and his lip tucked up halfway. He reached over and hugged his son, catching Spencer off guard. "Dad?"

"I'm glad you're okay, son. Also, I'm proud to hear you want to take responsibility, but you need to tell the mother that." Spencer nodded and stepped back from his father, feeling slightly awkward at the emotional response. His dad wasn't often the type to show his emotions, so it was always strange when he did. He was grateful for it, however. "The police called, looking for Jonathan. They said Mrs. Duncan identified him as the shooter…also, they have reason to believe he's responsible for the disappearance of that girl." Spencer's head shot up and his eyes darted towards the hallway where Jonathan's office was.

"Has he been back at all?" His tone came out rushed and anxious, he _needed_ to find that book before Jonathan did. His father curled a finger beneath his chin and turned towards the hallway.

"Not yet. Cannot say that I would allow it after what I was told. I am keeping an eye out for him, however."

"Good idea. Where's Mom at?"

"Asleep in the bedroom. She was so worried she got a headache and put herself to bed." He was glad to hear his mom was safe, on the off chance that Jonathan would return and hurt one of his parents. "I'll go let her know you're home." As his father walked off, Spencer rushed towards the hallway and into Jonathan's office. His eyes fell onto the desk where a strange device rested in the center, he was curious whether he should touch anything at all. This object was like a magnet to him, however, drawing him near.

He carefully sat in the chair, pondering what it was about this object that attracted him. He used his long sleeve to cover his finger and press a button on the edge of the device. When a blue light shot out of the disc, he practically fell out of the chair in fear. There was Angelica, arms outstretched as if she were positioned on a cross. His brows meshed together and a lump started to form in his throat as he watched her gazing around her prison. "A-Angelica? Is that really you?" He saw her tense, her eyes widening as her hands clenched tight.

"Spencer! What exactly do you want?"

"I think I figured out how Jonathan communicates with you…w-where are you?"

"Some sphere…no location on earth, though. Have you found that damn book of Jonathan's? Where is he by the way?" Hearing her voice instilled a sense of nostalgia, but he was still frightened of her, only because he knew she held in her hands the power of whether he got to see his daughter again.

"I don't know. He shot Mrs. Duncan…" Angelica grimaced. Spencer opened a drawer on the desk and raised an eyebrow when he spotted a greenish brown book resting in dead center. "I think I found the book, not sure…" He looked to the hologram and saw her bowing her head, she had streaks of tears going down her face. It broke his heart to see those streams. If Tommy and Gabe needed this book to set her free to be with Charlie, then he would take it. He grabbed the book from the desk and slammed it shut. "Jonathan sent you there? Tommy and Gabe are trying to get you out, they need this book…I think…"

"Yes. I know what's been going on. Jonathan cast some sort of spell to make me watch as everyone in my life that I care about unravels and 'withers'…"

"Yikes…well uh, Teddy's broken up with me." She growled at him and narrowed her eyes. It was probably good that she couldn't see him sweating, or at least, he hoped she couldn't. "I'm going to get this book to them. If I find Jonathan…he's dead meat…I won't let him hut Charlie." Angelica huffed and her lips began to thin.

"Mark my words Spencer…I know about the ice cream takeout and I know you're probably wondering if you'll get a chance to see Charlie again…" His heart began to sink as he gazed hopelessly at her figure. Guilt swept over him as he recalled the vivid memory of their time together four years ago. "I haven't decided whether I'm going to allow it yet, I don't even know if I want your child support! Don't think I won't be grateful to your helping get that book and getting me out of this prison, but I am making _no_ promises about my daughter. I know what you did with Teddy, what you did with Skyler, and we need to be _confident_ that you really mean to change before I, and the Duncans, start letting you be an influence to be an influence in Charlie's life. Not only that, but now I'm going to _have _to tell them more about you…Do you understand all of this?"

"I...I do…" His chest tightened and his palms drenched sweat onto the book as he gazed down with a saddened gaze. He didn't blame her for her harsh words, they were well warranted. She, Teddy, the two families, they may never trust him again. He wouldn't complain if they didn't allow him time even the mention of paying child support. He bit his lip and felt tears beginning to well up beneath his eyelids, never before was he a crier, but these were tears of determination. He would do _anything_ to be able to know his daughter, and that began first with her birth mother. "I want you to know, Angelica…I don't regret Charlie. She's beautiful, a perfect angel, and I love my daughter…I'm sorry that I pressured you into sex, and I know that everything I've done since then has been bad…hell, I've disappointed and hurt everyone I've ever been around! My own father and mother are disappointed with me, you are, the Duncans are, and it's going to take some time to win back any amount of trust…I may never earn back any of that, but I'm not going to give up on Charlie."

Angelica's lips curved up slightly, then dropped back to a frown as she gazed at something directly ahead of her. "Fine. I still need to think about it, but first thing's first, get that book to Tommy and Gabe. You think you want to see Charlie? _I_ want to see my baby right now, so get moving! Also…get your mom and dad out of the house. Jonathan's on his way." His eyes widened and he quickly rose to his feet. His heart began racing as he turned his eyes towards the window and saw Jonathan's car in the distance.

"All right, I'm going!" He shut off the hologram and bolted out the door, having made sure everything else was left untouched. When he made his way to the living room, he called out for his parents until they made their way into the room. "Mom, Dad, we have to go! Jonathan's driving up!" Without giving them time to explain, he started pushing them into the garage and into his car.

"Spencer, what the hell?"

"Just relax, Dad! I don't want any trouble with that guy!" His parents were moved into the backseat while he tossed the book into the passenger seat and immediately jumped into the driver's side. Without hesitation, he started the car up, moved the gear into reverse, and slammed down the gas. "Sorry mom!" His mother screamed out as he moved onto the street, shut the garage door with a button in the car, and started driving off. He pulled his cell phone out, first dialing 9-1-1. When they answered, he spoke with a calm voice, eyeing the rearview mirror as Jonathan turned into the driveway, clearly not having seen Spencer take off. "Hello, this is an emergency. This is Spencer Walsh, our assistant, Jonathan just pulled into the driveway. We're driving away, but he's still at the house…This is the same Jonathan suspected in shooting Amy Duncan earlier."

_"We're on our way."_

He breathed in slowly and exhaled, taking a quick turn and listening as his parents protested and asked him about where they were going. He raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. "You want to meet your granddaughter?" His parents instantly silenced and gazed at him with wide grins. His lip curved into a smirk as he confidently gazed down the road. _"I knew that would shut them up…"_

The light ahead flicked onto red, signaling him to stop. As he did so, he turned his gaze to the book and smiled slightly. He was more than happy to be the person who helps bring Charlie her mother back. Even if he never got to see her again, or to be a father to her, he could still acknowledge the importance of her birth mother. There was no way in hell he would leave Angelica in that prison of hers.

Obviously he had no intention of trying to court her, considering she was with Harold and he actually _liked_ having his face in one piece. He didn't expect Teddy to forgive him, and was absolutely certain that her view of him was only going to get worse when she learned Charlie was _his_ daughter. His eyes shifted towards the sky and his shoulders slumped. _"Fucked up thing about that is, I dated her for a while and never knew Charlie was mine…I wonder how _that's _going to look." _He would let Angelica be the one to break the news, as she was a good friend of Teddy's nowadays and would probably know how to say it. He glanced over his shoulders at his parents and smiled at them. "Mom, Dad, things are going to be different, I can feel it. Still, until Jonathan's caught…please don't go back to that house."

His father shook his head and lifted a hand. "I'm not so worried about him, son. Though, if you're that concerned-"

"I am."

"-Then I'll stay away from the house until further notice."

"That's all I ask, Pops." The light turned green and he slowly pressed the gas, making his way towards the Pickles residence, as the Duncans were staying for the rest of the day until their house was released by the police. "That is all I ask."

* * *

The book has finally been retrieved, and we learn a little more about how Spencer's changing, but will he be able to earn the trust and respect of Angelica, the Duncans, and Angelica's family? Time will tell. What are your opinions of the events in this chapter? Let me know your insights.


	24. Pressured Mind

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 24 (Pressured Mind)

Charlie paced the floor upstairs, clicking her jaw and shaking her head. She was with Toby in her cousin Dil's bedroom. Their house was still in the midst of being picked clean by the police, as it was considered a crime scene. Her mom, Amy, was still at the hospital, and would be overnight. She _hated_ having to deal with that, but she had no choice. Her family would be finding a hotel later, since they couldn't really stay with Tommy's family. There was on space in the house.

Toby looked up from his crib with sad eyes and red cheeks, "Is Mommy going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Toby…" She was asking herself the same thing, but what was confusing her the most was, she was asking it about her birth mom. She loved Amy and Bob, and she didn't want anything to happen to Amy, but she feared a disconnect. At the hospital, Amy didn't say much to her, she simply cradled Toby in her arms and kept kissing his head. "Toby, Momma loves me too, right?" The baby blinked and quickly nodded his head.

"Of course she does, Char-char. Why would you ask that?" Charlie hopped up on the small bed and curled her knees to her chest. She had to wonder if the budding distance was because of her, because she was adopted. Ever since Angelica showed up, she always wanted to talk to her. She spent all her time with Amy, unless Angelica was there, but it wasn't like Amy didn't spend a lot of her time with Toby. There wasn't any jealousy there, just a genuine concern that maybe her adoptive mother was slipping away because she wasn't _hers_. "Mommy always talks about us, both of us. Are you worried about your B-Mommy?"

"Yes. I hope A-Mom isn't mad at me, thinking I'm showing favoritism…" To a degree, she had been. She wasn't anything like her mom, she knew this. Her parents, her family, they all looked at her as a little angel who was just learning about the world. The truth of the matter was, she _was_ learning about the world, but at a higher level than her parents thought. She was just like her birth family, intelligent. Teachers at the school were already beginning to talk about starting her off at the first grade level. "I'm worried about both mommies…"

"It's okay Char-Char. I don't really know what fav…favo…favor-" She moved her hand to her forehead and slowly lifted her gaze up, staring tiredly at the crib.

"Favoritism."

"That word. I don't know what it means, but I don't think Mommy's mad at you."

"Favoritism means preferring or choosing one over another. Like…you like to play with your stuffed bear more than your rattle, right?" Toby nodded and Charlie clapped her hands once. "Then you show favoritism over the bear. You like it better than the rattle."

"Oh! No, I don't think Mommy's like that."

"I hope not, Toby." She hopped from the bed and looked around the room at some of her cousin's walls. A sense of peace overcame her and her gaze dipped to the floor. Whenever she was around her birth family, she felt so warm, the same warmth she received when she was with her adoptive family. However, she felt like she belonged more with her birth family. Her lips dipped down into a frown and a groan left her lips. "This is what I get for being smart…"

"What do you mean?"

"You wouldn't understand…"

"Maybe not, but I could try."

"No, trust me, this even I don't get." She was far too young to feel like there was a difference between the two families, but sadly, she did understand. Both were perfect, both were full of love, but one she felt like she belonged in while the other she only felt like a replacement for a dead child. "Of course, they had to explain to me why I was adopted…stillborn child…I get maybe I would have had an easier life, but come on." She smacked her head and started for the door, trying to shake her thoughts away. "Too young…for this…"

She looked back at the room and smirked at the UFO hovering over the bed. She didn't know too much about them, she'd only seen them in picture books and knew they were tied to aliens. Since knowing her birth family, Dil _had_ given her multiple stories about aliens. His tales were so fascinating that she always wanted to hear more. Her lower lip tucked under her teeth as she bowed her head and thought on 'stories' usually told to her by her siblings. Nothing so fascinating as inventions, adventures, or even alien takeovers. Hearing about PJ barely getting into college was admirable, but boring to her. Should she feel bad about this?

"Too much confusion." She craved adventure with cousin Tommy whenever she visited him. He'd always tell her about the wild, zany adventures he would go on with his friends. Often Susie would come over and rebuke him for possibly giving her either 'nightmares' or 'ideas'. It was due to him that she mastered the jungle gym at preschool before the other kids did. She also loved hearing Granddad Lou's war stories, much more than hearing about Bob's father complain about her name or Amy's father carry on about his love of 'vintage' cars. _"Strike that as a word I need to ask about…"_

There was also a difference, dare she say, between her B-Mom's boyfriend and Bob. One was a bumbling idiot that she loved anyway, and the other was _once _a bumbling idiot but now a strong guy that took her places that Bob did not. Charlie stepped out into the hallway and smacked the sides of her head, wincing with each strike. "I shouldn't make these comparisons, but it's so_ confusing!"_

"What's confusing?" Susie's voice shook her into reality and she quickly looked up, smiling nervously at the girl. Her heart sank and her eyes dipped towards the ground.

"I miss my moms, but I keep comparing my families and I don't know why. I'm afraid my adoptive mom's starting to show favoritism to Toby. I know I do that with my birth family, so maybe that's why, but I can't help it if I feel like I belong with them more! I don't know _why_ I feel that way, I shouldn't even be _thinking _about that!"

"Aw Charlie, let's talk…" She let Susie pick her up and carry her out into the living room. Everyone was elsewhere in the house, where exactly she wasn't sure. There were noises coming from the basement, so it was likely that Uncle Stu was showing off an invention. Susie sat on the couch and let her cuddle up beside her. "You come from a gifted family, that's why you understand so much, even at your age…it's not uncommon to worry about favoritism, but _both_ Angelica and Amy love you _equally._ They always will, no matter what."

"Then why am I so worried about it?"

"Attention loving, it's in your genes." She raised an eyebrow as Susie laughed, seemingly recalling several memories from the past. "Angelica _always_ wanted to be the center of attention. Granted, your cousin Tommy's got a little of that in him as well, but Angelica…Oh she absolutely _had _to be the Princess or Queen growing up." Wasn't Amy the same way? Maybe not to the degree Angelica was, but still, she liked attention too. Susie tapped her chin and closed her eyes, exhaling softly. "You may be feeling more comfortable with her because when you're with her, all the attention is on you. You _are_ the center of attention, all of the focus is on you, and so you're happy."

"With my adoptive family, it's hard for us to do anything because there's five of us children. Momma can't do all the work…"

"That's the reason they want to ask Angelica to stay with them. That, and, Angelica has nowhere else to turn…she can help around the house, I know she would love that chance. Just try to remember that Amy does all that she can, I know she does because Teddy and Angelica talk about it all the time, then Angelica tells me how things are going. Things might get harder now, with what happened to Amy, but I'm sure she won't love you any less than she does."

"I know she loves me, it's just…" Susie ran her hand through her hair. Charlie closed her eyes as the sensation of the girl's fingers tickled her head.

"You're too smart for your own good, that's what I always tell Angelica these days. Can you believe, four to five years ago she was making bad decisions and wasn't even using the brains that she had? _Now_ she wants to go to Harvard and go into either Law or Politics!"

"Wow I…you lost me Aunt Susie, I don't know what Harvard is."

"That's okay, you don't need to know _everything_ right now, Charlie. You're still young, don't let these things burden you now. Enjoy your life while you still can, you know." Charlie smiled at her and threw her arms around her waist, thrilled to hear the words that worked her way to her heart. Susie always seemed to have the best advice, she never understood why, but it was great to have a voice of reason around from time to time. Susie chuckled and hugged her close, resting her chin atop her head. "Most children your age would love to take advantage of having two families. You're getting all the extra love that most kids would only dream of."

"Yeah, but the same confusion…"

"Confusion that _normally_ doesn't even hit until you're a preteen, Charlie. _Relax_ and live like a three-to-four year old girl should. Trust me, you'll have time to worry about it when you're _older_." Charlie laughed and moved her fingers to her eyes, sweeping them as tears stung them. Susie was right, she was thinking too hard on the whole separate family issue.

"Both are unique in their own ways, I guess, and both love differently…but it's the same love…right?"

"Exactly! Now you're getting the idea."

"Thank you…" She would have to enjoy both families to the best she could and ignore the concerns that she had. There was still the feeling in her gut that wished to be able to see her birth family more than she did. So naturally she was ecstatic that her B-Mom may actually move in with her family. "So what happens when B-Mom goes away to college? Do I lose her?"

"Never, Angelica will always be a part of your life. Whether she's here, or miles away." She propped her elbows on her legs and buried her chin into her closed hands. Currently she only saw Angelica about twice a week. Since PJ went to college, the family probably saw him a couple times a week, which told her that when Angelica goes to college, those visitations might lesson. She didn't want that to happen.

"I don't want to see her just once or twice in a while, that's the hard part…"

"You won't have to worry about that, Charlie. Not for a while, at least. Like I said, you're young. Take each day one step at a time. All right? If you think too much on things that are too far ahead into the future, then you're going to have a hard time coping with everything. _Believe me_ on that."

"Why?"

"Your mother did." Charlie lifted her head suddenly, her eyebrows shot up and she quickly glanced at the solemn expression on Susie's face. "When your mother was young, she told me once…I remember this, we were five o six at the time, but she told me she knew some of the stuff that would happen in the future…that Jonathan was a bad man, but she couldn't do anything about it. She was always struggling to not change things in the future. I didn't know until I saw her predictions coming true, and somehow, most everything remained true. She said she only changed _one_ thing, and I'm not really sure what that was…even she forgot what it was as she aged…"

"So how did Mom deal with it?"

"By focusing on each day one day at a time. The more she thought of the present moment, the more she didn't think about what foreboding things were coming…"

"What's foreboding, exactly? Also, what is _vintage_?" Susie raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Vintage is old, classic, kind of like your Granddad Lou. As for foreboding, it means dark…unpleasant things…like your grandmother's death."

"Oh…Momma knew about that?"

"A little. She didn't tell anyone though, made each day her own. Eventually she forgot some of the stuff she was worried about, but either way, she was happier for having less to worry about." Susie brushed her hair back and gave her a warm smile. Charlie's body began to relax as she turned her eyes towards the door. She was surprised to hear these things about her mom, but yet, she was happy to hear Susie's advice. "I think that's what your mom would say, focus on being a young child as much as you can, one day at a time."

"Yeah…" Tears ran along her cheeks as she listened to the footsteps ascending the stairs of the basement. She closed her eyes and put her hand to her pounding heart. "I miss her so much, Aunt Susie…"

"I know you do. Tommy and Gabe are doing the best they can to find a way to bring her back. That mean man, Jonathan, will be put away soon enough Charlie. You'll have both your moms and you won't have to worry about losing your mom." At least not her birth mother, she already heard the news about Amy, of course. Then again, she didn't need to worry about that _now_, it was too much.

"You know, another thing that bothers me? I've never heard B-Mom talk about my birth dad…" Susie's lips thinned and the rest of the family quickly glanced over with confused gazes. "I know what s-e-x is, and I know he pressured her into it, so he was a bad man, right?"

"Something like that…" Susie lifted her eyes to Teddy and bit her lip. Charlie was a bit concerned, why was she looking at her sister? She would know who the birth father was, so did he have something to do with Teddy? Her body tensed as the doorbell rang, but her thoughts were on her birth father. Could it be? It couldn't. Tommy opened the front door and Charlie's eyes drifted over, to her astonishment, she saw the man in her thoughts standing with a book in his hand. Spencer!

Her voice was lowered to a whisper as everyone in the room turned their glares upon Spencer. "Him?" He put his hand to the book and grinned.

"I have Jonathan's book, we can bring Angelica back!" Her heart leapt to her throat and her joy erased the confusion inside. Was he speaking the truth? Could he really bring back her B-Mom? Maybe he _wasn't _as bad as she was thinking. Time would tell. As for whether or not he was her B-Dad, she wasn't certain, he never made it known. She'd have to ask her Mom.

* * *

Your thoughts?


	25. Angelica Freed!

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 25 (Angelica Freed)

Charlie hopped to her feet and watched as Spencer handed Tommy and Gabe the book. Mr. and Mrs. Walsh walked in after him, but Spencer instructed them to not do anything just yet. The two were smiling at her as if they'd just seen their granddaughter, it was a tad unnerving. She had to judge the fact that everyone else looked tense and uptight with him under their glares, more and more it was feeling like this was her birth father. Along with that thought, the strong desire to tackle him was overwhelming her mind.

None of that mattered now. Her eyes drifted to the book, she held her breath and watched Tommy flip hastily through the pages. Could this seriously bring her mother back to them? Was Spencer playing them? "Which spell do you think it is?" Gabe asked, moving over to Tommy and gazing down at the book. Gabe pointed to the page that Tommy was reading, his eyebrows lifted curiously. "There's a spell to pull someone back from the past. Apparently it requires being read in the presence of a blood relative…"

"That's not the one we're looking for though," Tommy replied. He grimaced and continued flipping through the pages. His brows meshed together, forming two creases on his forehead. Frown lines dug into the corners of his lips, and his eyes narrowed into slants. "Here's one…entrapping someone within a time sphere. It makes the person able to see what's going on in the outside world, but forces them to relieve their most haunting memories over and over again…my god…to think Jonathan would do that to her."

Spencer bowed his head and clenched his fists, a guilty expression crossed over his eyes. Charlie had to wonder if he knew what memory Angelica would be reliving, aside from the murder of her own mother. "Is there a reversal spell?" He lifted his head, his Adam's Apple fell and rose in the center of his neck, and his eyes narrowed. "There has to be a reversal. Charlie…she needs her mother…" Tommy glanced to him and huffed.

"Relax Spencer, there's bound to be one here…" Tommy's eyes moved rapidly, scanning the page. Once they reached the bottom, his lips curved up and his eyes lit up with excitement. "Found it! There's a reversal spell on page 381. Apparently there's four hundred spells in this book…two hundred main ones and two hundred reversals…"

"Interesting."

"Yeah." Tommy wasted no time flipping the pages over and gazing at the open area in the living room. "God, please let this work…my family's full of scientists, I can't believe in magic. That's absurd! But if this brings back my cousin…" He closed his eyes and began to read the spell aloud. Charlie felt a chill run down her spine as heavy tension filled the air.

In front of her a mist started to appear while Tommy read. A collective gasp ran out from those in the room as a giant red sphere slowly materialized before her. Her eyes widened, her heart began to crash against her ribs, and a magnetic force started pulling her body towards the sphere. She extended her hand, whimpering at the shadowy figure within the transparent orb. _"M-Momma?"_

"Not too close Charlie," Bob said from behind. She ignored his warning and took another step. The sphere grew thicker as Tommy went deeper into the spell. She couldn't understand how all of this was working, but she was amazed that it _was_. Much to her surprise, a hole formed on the wall of the orb, allowing he to see inside.

There she was in full glory, Angelica! She gasped softly as tears sprang from her eyes. Angelica's head was bowed, eyes closed, and chest slowly moving in and out. Her arms were up in the air, chained by some strange circle of light at her wrists. "I-It's her!" Charlie enthused, "It's Momma!" Angelica's eyes flew open, meeting her bewildered gaze. The circles around her wrists vanished with the orb, and she fell onto the ground, stumbling forward.

Immediately, Tommy threw the book on the ground and ran to help his cousin stand. Susie and Teddy rushed over as well. Susie and Tommy stood at her sides, putting her arms over their shoulders. Angelica smiled weakly. "It's about time. I knew you guys could do it, but…wow…" Charlie ran up to her, hugging her legs. Angelica let out a surprised gasp and peered down at her with a smile. "Hey Charlie. I hope I wasn't gone too long…"

"She was worried about you," Teddy remarked, "We all were." Charlie was certain she heard Gabe mention something about some worrying more than others, which she didn't quite get, but she was far too happy to be concerned with it. "I don't know what convinced Spencer to get that book from Jonathan, but I'm glad he did."

"Yeah…" Angelica lifted Charlie up in her arms, holding her close. Charlie threw her arms around Angelica's neck and glanced over to Spencer. Angelica raised her eyebrows and slowly shook her head as Spencer's face fell. A deep sadness crossed his gaze and Angelica released a defeated breath. "I think I know why. This is going to be difficult to tell you Teddy…you too Charlie, I have to be honest…I didn't know how to tell you this before, but…"

"What's the problem?" Angelica walked over to the couch and took her seat. Charlie gazed into her eyes, resting her palms on her shoulders and waiting eagerly for her to speak. Her voice was almost musical, a treat to have after so long. "Charlie. Spencer…is your birth father…" Teddy gasped while the remaining Duncan's glared at the man. "I kept it down because I didn't even want him knowing. I didn't think he should have anything to do with Charlie. I've seen a few things while trapped in there, but…I'm still not sold, I think we need to discuss him…"

"Right…" Teddy sat beside them and glared up at Spencer. He confessed that he did not know Charlie was his daughter, and if he had, he would have told the family sooner. "Then what do you want now, Spencer? I mean…thank you for helping to bring Angelica back to us, but…"

"I only want to know my daughter," he admitted, "That's all. I will do anything to spend time with her, to care for her." Charlie was stunned and amazed by him. She wasn't too sure how he would react, but this wasn't how she would have guessed. He moved his hands behind his back and turned his eyes towards the floor. "I am sorry for everything, I don't expect you to forgive me…but at least consider letting me be a part of Charlie's life…even though I'm sure I don't deserve it."

"We'll think about it. Spencer, we have other things going on as well…mom is in the hospital." Spencer nodded his head and looked to Charlie with a loving gaze. She was almost sold in wanting him around, but she wasn't too keen on the idea. "I don't want to think of you doing something irresponsible. Charlie means the world to all of us."

"I know."

"Yeah." Teddy glanced over to Angelica, hugging her for a few seconds. "We want to talk to you about some stuff, but we'll give you time to rest…" Angelica bowed her head and pulled her lips back into a deep frown. Fresh tears fell from her eyes as she glanced towards her family.

"I've seen from that prison…my dad is…gone, isn't he?"

"I'm sorry, Angelica."

"It's okay, I'll…I'll manage." Angelica breathed in deeply and hugged Charlie close. "At least I have all of you. I want to see Amy, though…" Teddy bowed her head and let her lips fall into a deep frown. "I know what happened to her, I just…I just really want to see her."'

"Maybe tomorrow, it's late and you both need your rest I'm sure…" Angelica started to yawn and quickly agreed to needing a nap. "Mom wanted to talk to you about you moving in, sharing my room." Angelica's eyes widened as Teddy shifted her gaze up to hers. "It's a good way for you to maybe help around the house, become closer to Charlie, and have a place to stay. Tommy and the others said they don't really have a place for you, and knowing how much you love Charlie like we do, we thought it would be best for you to move in with us. That is, if you want to?"

Charlie looked over as Bob put a hand on Teddy's shoulder from behind the couch and smiled at Angelica. "Amy's insistent," he added. His smile fell and he cleared his throat. "I uh…don't know how well she's going to cope when she gets home, she's suffering and can't walk anymore. So…it would be great if you could be there." Gabe and PJ moved over to Bob, PJ pat his father's shoulder while Gabe crossed his arms. Angelica closed her eyes and slowly nodded.

"I appreciate the offer, I'd like to sleep on it first, however. I know I would like that very much…"

Charlie hugged Angelica's neck, squeezing gently, "I want you there B-Momma." Angelica smiled slightly and rubbed her back. "I'm tired of only seeing you once or twice a week! I want to see you more." Perhaps she was too blunt, but she had to be honest about how she felt. "I love you, B-Momma. Just like I love Momma Amy. I want both of you."

Susie put her hand to Angelica's shoulder, "How do you feel Angelica?" Angelica moved a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"I have a headache, my head feels like its spinning, and I feel nauseous. I need a shower and sleep. I could never sleep in that prison, and now it feels like I've not slept for years." Tommy pushed forward, speaking above the crowd.

"All right, let's let her rest. She needs it!" Angelica turned her grateful gaze towards her cousin. Her expression brightened as she slowly rose to her feet, still holding onto Charlie.

"Thank you for looking out for Charlie, Tommy. Gabe. I'm glad you brought me back, but above all, I'm glad Charlie is safe. First thing tomorrow morning I want to see Amy." Angelica looked to Spencer and pressed her lips thinly together. "As for you, Spencer…thank you…" Charlie glanced up at her mom, smiling cheerfully as she gazed towards her. "Charlie, would you like to spend some time with your birth father and his parents?"

This was a difficult question to answer. On one side, she didn't want to be anywhere near him due to the history she knew of him. On the other hand, she wanted to spend some time with him because he was her birth father. The urge to be fair won out and she slowly nodded her head. "Yes please."

"Okay…" Angelica looked to the others in the room and smiled. "Then would you guys stay and watch over Spencer? I don't want him around Charlie right now alone…I want to set up some boundaries, but it'll have to be done later…Can someone _please_ call Harold up? I want to see him too…"

"I'll give him a call," Tommy replied, "You get some rest and we'll make sure Spencer stays right here with Charlie."

"Thank you…"

* * *

Finally freedom! What did you think of the chapter?


	26. Her Surrogate Mother

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 26 (Surrogate Mother)

Angelica opened her eyes, groaning softly as she lay upon her cousin's bed. It was hard to fall asleep after being forced to remain awake in that prison, a part of the ghastly torture Jonathan devised for her. Her body was still under the affects of the torture, so being unable to be physically tired was still rubbing off on her. She'd been trying to sleep off the headache for the last fifteen minutes. Yet, adding to the fact that she wasn't feeling tired at all, there was also the death of her father and attempted murder of Amy.

Amy had become like a surrogate mother for her in the time she'd been involved with the family, she couldn't bear to lose her. She spread her arms out on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling fan, breathing heavily as her heavy eyes began to sting. She was ready to break down and cry, something she'd been unable to do during her imprisonment. She was overjoyed to see everyone, but didn't know how to react to her freedom. It was almost too bittersweet for her.

"Angelica?" She turned her head to the door and smiled weakly upon seeing Harold, Susie, and Teddy moving into the room. Teddy shut the door behind them as Harold made his way over. He sat beside her and put his hand over hers. "I'm glad you're safe." Susie sat on her right and helped her as she strained herself to sit up. Teddy moved the end of the bed and watched happily. She brushed her hair over her shoulder and exhaled.

"We've known each other for a couple years now and this is the first time I'm really getting to know your family, what's up with that?" It wasn't that she wanted to keep her family from the Duncans, they'd met in the past, but no one really ever got a chance to stick around much. She felt Harold's arm around her shoulder and his left hand squeezing hers. His lips kissed her left temple, she closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I wanted to let you know, also…I understand your hesitation, telling me about Spencer. Susie, and well, Spencer himself, explained everything to us." Angelica opened her eyes and gazed at her friend with a heavy heart.

"I never wanted to be the reason for you two having a fight or anything."

"It's okay. I mean, I wish I knew…we only broke up because he tried to hit on Skyler. Again." Angelica reached forward, ignoring the pounding in her head that resulted. She took Teddy's hand and pulled her into a hug. Teddy hugged her back. Warmth flooded her body, the same feeling she'd been missing since being trapped in that sphere.

"I'm really sorry Teddy." Tears left her eyes, much to her pleasure. Susie and Harold joined in the hug, causing her to finally allow herself to let go of that fight to survive. She was _safe_, Charlie was safe, and Amy was safe. Jonathan was still out there, but she had faith he would be found, he would be caught. A sob left her lips and her trembling body fell back into Harold's arms. "I'm so glad you guys are here, who is out there with Charlie though?" She started to get up, wincing as pain shot through her body. Susie quickly grabbed her and started to help her to lay down.

"Just relax," Susie responded, "Tommy's out there watching Spencer like a hawk. In the meantime, Gabe and Mr. Duncan are making sure he doesn't _kill_ Spencer." Harold climbed beneath the covers with her and she quickly cuddled to his body. The contact enabled her to relax her stressed, frayed nerves. She put her head and hand to his chest and smiled as the girls rubbed her back.

The three were speaking so softly that their words actually seemed to mediate her headache, another thing she was in desperate need of. "After a while we're going to go see mom at the hospital," Teddy began, "You want us to wake you for that?"

"Of course…Is it true what I saw in the time bubble?"

"What did you see?"

"Everything…" Her eyes locked onto Tommy's desk as her tears dripped off her chin. Her voice cracked and a sob escaped her lips. "Dad's dying, Jonathan snooping around, and then…Amy getting shot…she won't be able to walk anymore?" Teddy's expression tensed and tears soon filled her own eyes.

"It is true Angelica." Angelica lifted her head up and worriedly glanced to the others, her tone heightening with fear and causing her head to begin pounding once more.

"Then the other thing? That bullet in her chest?" Teddy closed her eyes, a wrinkle formed between her eyebrows and fresh tears overlapped the streams of her old tears. Angelica gripped the blanket angrily between her fingers. "I hate Jonathan. I hate him! Why is he the way he is? I don't understand…Amy never did anything to him! Never!"'

"He might have been going after Charlie…" Teddy opened her eyes and looked to the side. "Get some rest though, we'll get you up to see Mom soon. We don't want you stressing out too much right now, I know it's hard…we're all stressed, we're all concerned…but what's important is you're safe, Jonathan won't hurt you _or_ Charlie. Okay?"

She nodded as Teddy reached over and gently squeezed her hand. With that, she slowly returned her head to Harold's chest, breathing in the familiar sweet cologne he used to cover up the smell of sweat after working out. He really _had_ changed a lot over the years, but old or new, she wouldn't have anyone but him.

As she closed her eyes and started to drift off, an old memory came to mind regarding Amy, reminding her just why she was so close to the woman. It wasn't hard for people to understand, but she was thankful that Amy never felt threatened by her.

_"What's the matter?" Amy asked as she sat beside sixteen-year old Angelica. Charlie was on the floor, playing with a couple toys, laughing cheerfully. The scent of cookies drifted from the oven, daring to entice her, but Angelica had not been in the mood. Not since finding out about Teddy and Spencer, whom she opted to stay away from whenever he was around. Amy looked to Charlie and smiled, resting an arm around Angelica's shoulders. "You know, I've never quite known how to thank you for what you've done."_

_ "What I've done? What did I do…"_

_ "You gave us an angel, you gave Charlie a chance to grow up happy. I think she would be happy either way-"_

_ "This way she has a mom, dad, siblings, and a good life. I didn't have anything. My mom was dead, my dad's dying, and I couldn't take care of a baby." She could do it now if she had to, but she wasn't ever planning on taking Charlie away from the Duncan family. "I just want her to be happy, that's all I ask."_

_ "Are you worried about us being a good family for her?"_

_ "No." Angelica met Amy's eyes with a tender smile and moved her hand up, sweeping away the stray tear that made its way along her cheek. She didn't dare tell Amy about Spencer, but she had to tell _someone_. She was afraid to tell Teddy, not wanting to upset her or cause any issues with their possible relationship. Of course, she didn't know a damn thing about how he was acting. "I think you make a great mom for her. She's got a loving family, and that's all that matters."_

_ "She has two loving families. Ours, and yours. I have to admit, she gets her smarts from your side, I think. I caught her reading a second grade book the other day!" Angelica's eyes lit up with pride as she hurried her gaze towards her daughter. A sense of longing struck her heart as Charlie looked to her with a widening smile. That longing would always be there in her heart, but that was all it could ever be, just these simple visitations. Charlie was all she had now, or at least, all she would have if her father's health kept failing him. She felt Amy's hand on hers and looked back, pushing her eyebrows together sadly and giving a tiny smile. Amy had a genuine look of concern in her eyes and an inviting smile that tempted her to open a little of her world. "Talk to me Angelica. There isn't a thing in the world you can't tell me." _

_ "I don't know…" Amy reminded her so much of her own mother in the way that she cared for her family, and perhaps that was what drew her in so well. Perhaps it was best to let her know about Spencer, but she couldn't just tell everyone. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. "Can I…can I tell you this in confidence? Just between me and you? You _can't_ tell Teddy, not yet, I don't want to cause anything…" Amy's face grew serious and she nodded her reply._

_ "I'll keep it between us. What is it?"_

_ "I don't know how to say this, but…Charlie…" Angelica looked towards her daughter and breathed in slowly. "Her birth father is…Spencer…" Amy gasped and cupped her hand over her mouth._

_ "Is that what you've been so upset about lately? Teddy dating Spencer?"_

_ "It's not quite that way, it's just…Spencer hurt me, Amy." Amy's lips pulled back into a frown as Angelica gazed back with fear and concern striking her chest. "I don't know if he'll be the same way with Teddy, and I don't want to ruin a good thing. We dated and he pressured me into having sex until I just…gave in and did it with him. Obviously I ended up pregnant, and he left me." She started to sob and Amy quickly took her into her arms, holding her and rocking her back and forth._

_ "It's okay. If it really bothers you, I won't tell Teddy unless _you're_ ready to. I will be watching him however, if he tries anything with her…"_

_ "If he does, he'll have my entire family and yours hunting him with pitchforks and torches, I'm sure." Amy laughed and pat her arms, grinning._

_ "You bet! Also, if ever you feel uncomfortable about something, just let me know. Trust me, I won't hesitate to push Spencer out the door if you're around." Amy winked at her and smirked slyly. _

Angelica's eyes opened and her ears awakened to the sound of someone's loud snoring, Harold had fallen asleep. She smiled and looked to the clock, much to her astonishment, she'd been asleep almost two hours! It may not have seemed like much, but it was a miracle for her, a sign that her body was getting ready to embrace the exhaustion she craved so much.

She heard the door slide open and looked down to see Charlie walking in. She smiled and hung her arm off the bed, letting Charlie reach for her hand. Her heart swelled as her daughter's hand tightened around her own. "Hey Charlie," she spoke softly so as not to awaken her once torturous headache. It had since relieved, but she didn't want to take any chances. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yes B-Momma." Charlie climbed up into the bed and pushed herself between her and Harold. Harold opened his eye and smiled at the girl. Charlie gave him a smile, then cuddled close to Angelica. "We're about to go see Mommy-A. I wanted to come cuddle first."

"Okay sweetie."

"Spencer was nice to me, B-Mom." She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head while running her fingers through Charlie's hair. "He read stories and showed me how to play a board game." This was surprising news, she was _still_ skeptical that he would be good hanging around Charlie. Maybe supervised visitation was the answer for now, if at all, but how often? All she could think of was a monthly visitation, until she could trust him more, but she would _have_ to talk to the Duncan family first.

"I'm glad you had fun baby. I really am happy to see you."

"I am too, I missed you. Momma missed you also."

"And I missed you all." She kissed Charlie's head and moved her temple against Harold's chest. Until Mr. Duncan and the others were ready to leave, this was one moment she would cherish, as she hardly ever got such an opportunity. Maybe it would be a good idea to take the family's offer to let her move in, she would give anything to spend more time with Charlie and the Duncan family.

Within half an hour they'd left and arrived at the hospital where Amy was. Nurse Karen had been taking care of her until they got there, and left so they could have privacy. Angelica hurried to her side and took Amy's hand. The mother gazed up at her with a bright smile. "I'm so glad you're safe," Amy stated. Tears burst from Angelica's eyes as her heart began to break. She hated hearing what the doctor's said about the bullet, she hated to think that one day she'd lose Amy too.

"You've meant so much to me, Amy. You guys are the best family I could ask for, aside from cousin Tommy and Dil." She squeezed Amy's hand and looked over to the other Duncans. Her chest expanded and fell as she pondered their offer. "Mr. Duncan told me what you suggested…me moving in, sharing a room with Teddy…"

"Would you?" Amy slowly pushed herself up, staring down at her own legs for a long moment. A sudden look in her eyes started Angelica, her eyes had grown dull and empty. She closed her eyes and sobbed once, tightening her grip on Angelica's hand. "I can't feel my legs anymore. That man…took my legs and he took my life…"

"Don't say that."

"It's true…"Amy leaned sideways, resting her head on Angelica's hip and trembling like a baby. She didn't know what to do, Amy had always been the strong one! Amy sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

"It's okay."

"No it's not, but that's not important. We should be happy…" Amy started to smile through her tears, gazing up into Angelica's flooded, misty eyes. "You're safe, alive, and…I would love to have you around the house. You've said it yourself, you can't stay in that house of yours, right? Also, no one should be alone…"

"I guess…" It would be too depressing at the house, but that wasn't the biggest worry. Her inheritance from her mother and father, she wasn't supposed to receive any money until she was twenty. Essentially, she was broke. She had enough to pay the Duncan's rent money, but that was it. There wasn't a true argument, she wanted to be there with them, to be there for them. She wanted to be there for her daughter as well.

"Spencer and Teddy aren't dating anymore…I don't think that'll be a problem. Will it?" She wiped away her own tears and shook her head.

"No. It won't be a problem…I'd be happy to stay with you guys. I appreciate that, I do…" It was settled, she would just need some time to move everything in. Not that there was much to move. Not to mention, if Jonathan ever came around, she'd be sure to rip him apart limb by limb. She hugged Amy and looked over to the others with a pleasant expression. "I love you guys…"

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Hope you' enjoyed the chapter, tell me your thoughts my friends


	27. Depression

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 27 (Depression)

A week passed along without any major happenings, Charlie wasn't sure if Jonathan was truly gone or not. All the memories she had that were fuzzy had returned to normal, including one strange memory where she had spent some time with Spencer at an ice cream store. He wasn't so bad, it seemed like he was _trying_ to make an effort.

Both moms were home now, Angelica moved in and helped Teddy restructure the room for two people. Amy was starting to act differently, though. In her wheelchair, she'd stay in the living room while Teddy and Angelica worked on the house. She would hold onto Toby, taking him everywhere with her, and in her hollow eyes remained the blank fear of trauma. Every day, she would sit and stare at the slightly darker stain in front of the couch. Toby kept ensuring Charlie that this would end, but she saw no end to the depression. It was frightening.

Charlie made her way down the stairs, stopping on the bottom step to gaze at the mass of blonde hair sitting beside the couch. Amy's hair was a scraggly mess. Her body was trembling like an earthquake. She saw Toby's head pop up from over her shoulder, his dull, mournful gaze met hers, and his lips curved into a sad smile. "Big Sis, isn't it supposed to be _me_ that keeps _her_ up all night? I don't know how much longer I can take this." It was strange to hear this from one who was usually the optimistic one. Thinking she could help Toby out, she hurried over to the black chair with silver wheels and put her hand up on Amy's arm.

Amy's face was pale, she had dark circles around her eyes, and deep frown lines dug into the corners of her mouth. She looked as though she'd not taken an ounce of sleep in years! "Momma?" She shook Amy's arm, but the woman kept gazing out the window beside the door. "Momma please. I want to play with Toby."

"C-Can't let go of Toby. Monster's still out there…" Charlie frowned as Toby's forehead fell onto his mother's shoulder. After a few seconds, he lifted his head and shifted his gaze to Charlie.

"I hope I learn to talk to adults instead of babble soon, Char-Char."

Angelica and Teddy were washing dishes in the kitchen, watching sadly through the opening. "She's hardly even moved," Teddy whispered. "Dad hasn't even been able to get through to her. PJ's not been here since Thursday…all this depression's even beginning to affect me."'

"It'll pass, it has to. Amy's always been the stronger one." She bowed her head and focused on scrubbing the plate with the vanilla washcloth. "Gabe's at his girlfriend's place?"

"Yeah." Damn Jonathan for screwing with another family. It wasn't fair! The detectives couldn't get the blood completely out of the carpet, and no one wanted to fork the money to have the entire living room carpet replaced. Charlie's calls for her mother's attention upset Angelica greatly. Of course she was to blame Jonathan for this, for taking another girl's mother from her. Her hands trembled as she eyed Charlie shaking Amy's arm.

"How many dishes are left, Teddy?"

"Um…" Teddy looked back at the sink, then pat Angelica on the back. "Go ahead out there, I'll take care of the rest." With Teddy's permission, she wasted no time leaving into the living room. She moved over to the couch and sat on the cushion directly beside Amy's wheelchair. Charlie crawled up into her lap and pointed to Amy.

"What's wrong with her, B-Momma?" Angelica stroked Charlie's hair and gently kissed her forehead. "I want to play with Toby."

"It's okay, she's just going through her emotions baby." Angelica reached over and gently put her hand to Amy's, causing the woman to look up and over towards her. "Amy, you want to let Charlie play with Toby?" Fear swept into Amy's eyes and she quickly looked down towards her baby. Angelica's voice softened as her eyes drifted towards the child. "He'll be okay, the two of them will stay in front of us. Won't you, Charlie?" Charlie nodded her head and hopped onto the ground. Amy hesitatingly leaned forward, placing Toby in Charlie's arms. Angelica watched the two children move a few feet away and sit down with one another. "It's hard, I know. I can't stand Jonathan either…I'm sorry-"

"It's not your fault," Amy's weak response broke her heart, the only person she could think of that had ever been his bad off was her father. "That monster…if he'd just been a few inches over." Amy's body tensed and her hand moved up towards her chest in a slow, continuous patting motion.

"Don't think like that. You're alive now…I know it hurts, but it's going to be okay. Just take a deep breath, one step at a time, and everything will be fine." Amy shook her head and eyed the children carefully.

"No one cares about me anymore, they're all avoiding me. Bob won't even come out of his room! He's ashamed to have a wife that's going to die and can't even walk!" Angelica reached over and hugged Amy, trying her hardest to console the woman. "No one even knows how I feel! I can't even cry anymore, Angelica. My eyes sting, my chest _hurts_ and I constantly feel like throwing up!"

"Everyone's going through this stuff too, Amy. Believe me, we're all scared. Nobody is avoiding you, we love you. Mr. Duncan just needs to get over the emotions he's going through, so do Gabe and PJ, but nobody's avoiding you. Believe me."

"I'm hopeless. I'm a hopeless case."

"You are _not_ hopeless. You're stronger than this, Amy."

"I don't know." Amy began shaking her head, shivering and weeping bitterly, though no tears erupted from her face. "I can't do this I can't fight this."

"You _can-_"

"What's the point! I have a bullet that's going to kill me eventually!" Angelica leaned back, frowning as Amy buried her face in her hands. She had to keep the woman's spirits up somehow, but couldn't think of anything she could do. Amy was quickly losing the will to live, and it scared her. There was nothing she could think to say. Amy hunched over and continued to sob. Angelica turned her gaze towards Charlie, who was watching with tears in her own eyes. Her lips thinned and her heart jumped to her throat. Charlie didn't need to see this, she didn't need to go through this. This would kill her mentally.

"I have no choice…I'm going to call Uncle Stu and Aunt Didi if you don't mind…let Charlie visit with them for today. Think I should?" Amy agreed, purely because she didn't want Charlie to see her going through these emotions. She didn't know how _not_ to show them, but at the very least, she knew she wasn't going to stop crying for the remainder of the day. With no one else in the house, there was no surefire way to avoid having Charlie watch her all day. "Okay. Then that's what I'll do…" Charlie raised an eyebrow at them and tilted her head.

"Momma? You talking about me, Momma?"

Amy wiped her eyes and sniffled. "You're going to get to visit your Uncle Stu," she wept between her words and turned her head away from the girl. "Would you like that?" Charlie gasped and jumped up happily.

"Can Toby come?"

"No…I…I can't bear for him to leave right now…I want to hold my son…I'm sorry baby." Charlie pouted and looked towards her little brother. Toby was staring wide-eyed at his mother. Angelica could only wonder what he'd be saying if he could talk.

At the Pickles home, Stu led Charlie downstairs to show off yet another invention. "Okay Charlie, you're going to enjoy this one!" Stu declared happily. She smiled at him and gazed at what was a strange and large metal spider looking machine. She walked around it, stopping once she spotted piano keys attached to the back of the object. "I call it a musical washer!"

"Musical…washer?"

"Yep!" Stu moved several baskets beneath the arms, then sat down at the piano keys. "You just play a song, any song, and the machine fires up to wash your clothes!" As he began playing, the arms creaked and began moving up, down, and sideways while grabbing for clothes. She raised an eyebrow and watched the machine dip the clothes into buckets of water and soap, then a hose would come out and spray the clothing. "It makes doing the laundry fun."

"It looks fun, Uncle Stu!" It was a good distraction from the events that happened over at the Duncan home. She didn't understand just why Amy wasn't reacting to her when she was reaching out to her, and she felt bad for Toby, knowing he'd probably be clutched all day. She turned her eyes to the piano keys and smiled as she walked over to her uncle. "I want to try. Can you teach me a song?"

"I don't know much, but sure I can teach you something."

"Yay." She climbed up into his lap and put her fingers to the keys. Stu smiled at her and reached around, pointing to her hands.

"It's all in the fingers. You have the middle 'c' key and so forth. I know a basic song I can teach you called 'chopsticks'."

"Chopsticks?"

"Yes, it's a basic song, Charlie. Let's begin…"

Learning to play took about twenty minutes, but she was still a tad sloppy. Nothing could be learned in the first take of something. When they were finished, she found Aunt Didi reading a book on the couch. Immediately she went to curl up beside her. The woman draped an arm around her and hugged her close.

"Hello sweetie, did you have a good time with your uncle?"

"Yes, he taught me how to play piano." She had fun with the instrument and hoped to maybe one day to continue learning it. Charlie tucked her legs beneath her and closed her eyes. Didi was extremely soft and warm, lulling her into a sense of sleep. "Aunt Did?"

"Yes dear?"

"Can you tell me a little about Grandma and Grandpa?" The funeral for Grandpa Drew had since passed, she never really spent a whole lot of time with him. She saw him in the hospital a few times over the year, but that was it, Angelica and Harold always preferred taking her out for ice cream or to the park. They talked a little about her grandmother, but again, not a huge amount.

"Your grandparents were amazing people, dear." She opened her eyes and looked up to her aunt, smiling as Didi closed her book and rested it in her lap. A glint appeared in Didi's eyes and she quickly wiped it away with her finger. "Your grandma Charlotte, she truly loved her family, even though she was often a very busy woman. She oversaw her entire company, she was the high boss, if you can understand that."

"Wow."

"If you had ever met her, I do believe she and Drew would have spoiled you so much that you would be sick of it." She laughed heartily. Charlie brightened as she thought on her grandparents. "Not that Stu and I don't spoil you enough. Angelica gets tired of it sometimes, but we can't help it."

"I don't mind!" She loved all the cookies and love that she received whenever she arrived. Of course, it was her B-Mom with the awesome extended family. The Duncan clan, it was just them, the grandparents were practically nonexistent, and she never even _met_ the aunts and uncles. "Momma may not approve, but I'll take as much spoiling as you can give, okay? It'll be our secret." Didi laughed once more and hugged her close.

"Okay sweetheart." Charlie cuddled close, forgetting the worries of the day as Didi picked up the book. "I do have some brownies in the oven."

"I can't wait, Aunt Did! Love you."

"You too sweetie." She closed her eyes and hummed lightly, drifting off into sleep, visualizing herself upon a cloud. She could only hope Toby was faring well.

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Your thoughts?


	28. Mother to Mother

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 28 (Mother to Mother)

"So you still want to go into politics?" Teddy asked as she and Angelica folded clothes on the bed. Angelica hummed softly and slowly nodded her head, it would be nice to go into politics. She could see herself as a mayor, helping to make things better. "That's what I want to go into. Maybe we can go to college together, it would be good to study the same subjects."

"It would be." It was good to think about the future, college wasn't for another year, but it was still nice to have that in mind. As long as she had an opportunity to have Charlie in her life somehow, she'd be happy. Thoughts of the future were what kept her from breaking down over what had been going on lately. She was still angry at Jonathan for now taking _another_ motherly figure from her. Amy was still not doing any moving around nor was she letting Toby go. The depression was far too much for her. To be honest, it scared her. Amy needed to move around, to be happy. Charlie and Toby needed to grow up happy, that's why she gave Charlie up to begin with. "I can't believe we let Charlie be with Spencer…"

"Harold's with them." She frowned as she neatly folded a pink shirt over. After a few days of prodding, she and Teddy decided to let Spencer spend some time with Charlie. Of course, being skeptical and still not trusting him too much, she made Harold go along with them. "It's not like Spencer's going to fill Charlie's head with anything bad. I don't think he would, anyway." Teddy put a pair of pants, neatly folded, over a hanger and laid them carefully on the edge of her bed. "I know you're wary of him, and so am I, but he's a father. He deserves to see his birth child _sometimes_…I think…"

"I still haven't seen anything that tells me priorities are in straight. Last we checked he was hitting on Skyler, wasn't he?" Was it really possible for someone to change? Besides, she didn't like the thought of not knowing what was going on with Charlie. "Anyway…" She folded her last shirt and looked towards the doorway, frowning slightly. "Maybe we should go check on Amy."

"Dad still hasn't come out of his room. All I hear is him weeping whenever I pass the door…" For some reason, she and Teddy were the only ones remaining strong. PJ and Gabe were doing the best they could, but they weren't able to step up to the plate. "I know mom's…dying…but we can't all just mope around…"

"I know. I'm a little concerned that she won't even let Toby out of her sight." Since, they'd had to move Toby's crib out beside Amy and were doing everything possible to do what she requested when she asked for his bottle or his food. The woman was _not_ letting that door out of her sight. She and Teddy were growing closer to Charlie while everyone else seemed to avoid the little girl. This was baffling to them! It wasn't Amy's fault though, she knew the woman loved Charlie with all her heart.

"Jonathan's attack, it messed with Mom. I know it did, it's like she's become a different person…Angelica, believe me when I say she does love Charlie."

"I know. I'm not worried about it, I'm just concerned about her." The two girls made their way into the front room where Amy was seated in her wheelchair. Toby was in her arms, sucking on a bottle. Amy's hair was a frizzled mess, her clothes stank, and her eyes were devoid of life. "Amy?" The woman slowly looked over to the girls and smiled weakly. Her eyes did not change upon seeing them, and her smile appeared devoid of emotion as well. "Amy you need to take a bath…"

"I can't leave this spot. I can't let Toby out of my sight."

"I'll take him," Teddy suggested. "Let me hold him and Angelica will help you with your bath." Amy narrowed her eyes and scoffed, glancing away.

"I'm an independent woman…or I was…until that maniac took away my legs and nearly killed my baby." Teddy reached down for Toby and Amy slowly clutched him tighter to his chest. Angelica watched with a heavy heart as mother and daughter struggled over giving Toby up.

"Mom…I know you're scared. Jonathan can't hurt you, he won't hurt you-"

"He's already done the damage! I'm going to _die _because of him! Are you crazy, Teddy?" The woman began huffing madly as Toby belted out a loud cry, dropping his bottle on the floor. Angelica gasped and quickly grabbed the bottle as Amy started to rock the crying baby. "No no baby, it's okay. Momma's here…Momma's got you…" Teddy took Toby and Angelica handed her the bottle. Amy reached out, then lowered her arms, watching as Teddy started singing a lullaby to Toby, calming his tears. "I…I didn't mean…"

"Come on Amy," Angelica said with a sad tone. She'd never seen the woman so hurt before. She watched tears roll down Amy's puffed, red cheeks, and slowly pushed her towards the bathroom. "I know you're hurting, and your pride's damaged, but you have to try and be strong. Remember? Being strong is important."

"I know, Angie…I'm sorry you're seeing this…"

"It's okay." She closed the door and began filling the bathtub with mildly hot water. She knew Amy could bathe herself, but the woman needed help getting in and out of the tub. "You have to push yourself, don't let Jonathan win. That's what you told _me_." The first time Amy saw the anniversary of Charlotte's death, Angelica had broken down. She was there to comfort her, to tell her to be strong and not let Jonathan gain a victory by her tears. "You can beat this…"

"What's the point? I'm dying. I'm going to die. I haven't even seen Bob since I've been home! He won't leave his room, I must be an embarrassment to him."

"You're not. I know that." She helped Amy pull off her shirt, then finally her pants. Amy stared down at her bare legs and started rubbing them with her hands, weeping as she attempted to gain any kind of feeling from them. Angelica closed her eyes as Amy moved her hands to her face, bawling frantically.

After several minutes, Amy had been coaxed into the tub. Angelica sat on the closed toilet, gazing at the empty wheelchair. The curtain on the tub had been pulled back most of the way, only revealing Amy's upper body. She had her hands on her shoulders and her eyes were still glued to her legs. "I'm losing my mind, Angelica. I've lost it."

"No you haven't. You're just hurting…you're depressed…"

"No. I've lost it. I'm not even focusing on Charlie, Gabe, PJ, or even Teddy. Toby and Charlie…oh god…they're not going to have a mother! I mean, Charlie has you, but…" Angelica frowned and leaned back, moving her eyes towards the floral wallpaper. She leaned her head against her own shoulder and turned her gaze towards the door, folding her arms over her waist. "Angelica. Thank you."

"For what?"

"You and Teddy…you two have been keeping this house in shape since all of this happened. You're stronger than I am."

"Don't say that. I'm not that strong…"

"You _are_." She looked over to Amy, smiling softly as the woman met her eyes. "You love Charlie."

"Of course I do." Amy rolled her head forward and leaned it back against the tile, moaning softly. The water and steam made it difficult to see her tears. "I wanted her to be happy. I had to give her up so she could be able to live a happy life with someone who could take care of her. That was you, you love her to."

"Of course. I love Toby too." Both women would do anything for the kids, they knew this. She knew well enough from her memories of having gone through the time travel, which she thought were dreams. Those that she remembered. She remembered coming close to danger just to save Charlie, and of course, Amy would do the same. "What do you plan to do…with your life?"

"Teddy and I had been thinking for a while that we might go off to college together, both of us want to go into politics." Amy smiled at that and closed her eyes, sighing as she waved her hands through the water. "I would love to become a senator or something, she wants to become a governor."

"Both of you have the capabilities. I think you could do it. You have Harold too. You love him…"

"Yeah." She chuckled happily and gazed up at the ceiling, ignoring the wide grin on her face. Since her return, Harold announced that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. "We're thinking about getting married after college. He loves Charlie too, and that's very important to me. Because I want to be a part of Charlie's life as she grows up, so the man that I meet needs to want to be a part of her life too. Teddy's the same way."

"I agree, that's very important. You two are keeping tabs on Spencer too, I suppose?"

"Yes, definitely. I worry about not being able to see what's going on with Charlie with him, so Harold's there. I don't want him hitting on other women while he's taking care of her." She hadn't even thought of making any type of visitation rules. She didn't trust him with any kind of visitation. "He hasn't shown me yet where his priorities are."

"Right. Teddy doesn't seem to want to be back with him?"

"No, she's said nothing about being interested in him again. After what happened with Skyler, she was pretty much done with him."

"Yeah…" Amy turned her head over, studying Angelica. She breathed in slowly and moved her hand to the edge of the tub. "You and Teddy both have colleges in mind?" Both had put in applications to colleges for fall of the next year when they would start, and both were sure to get into the University of Colorado at Denver. They had high standards for applicants, but they fit all their requirements and were eligible for full scholarships and grants. "I'm glad. It looks like you've got a good future mapped out. Time to spend with Charlie too, right?"

"Always. I'll always make time to see her."

"Good." Angelica tapped her fingers on her forearm and closed her eyes, imagining herself taking Charlie on walks around the park and picking her up from school. She would do everything in her power to see her daughter, even though she didn't live with her. "Angelica…"

"Yeah?"

"I know Bob, when he gets depressed…there's no getting him out of it. When I'm gone…" She took a deep breath. Angelica looked over, full of concern. "I want you and Teddy to take Charlie and Toby into your care." Angelica froze, her jaw fell. She was about to faint on the ground and was blinking several times in disbelief. What the hell was Amy suggesting? _Why_ was she suggesting this?

"I-I don't understand-"

"Because." Amy's hands closed under the water and her eyes drifted towards her knees. "You gave me Charlie so Charlie would have a happy life, so she would be taken care of. Now…I'm doing the same. Our baby…won't be happy or have a good life at the rate this is going…I know Bob won't get out of his depression, I'm the only thing that ever could, and when I'm gone…Charlie and Toby would be fending for themselves basically."

"Amy-"

"Hear me out." Tears stung Angelica's eyes as Amy slowly looked up to her. "Now I love Charlie with all my heart, and this is something I've been thinking about. I…I'm not in the right mind…I can't take care of Charlie, I can hardly take care of Toby with my anxiety level. You saw what happened in there…PJ and Skyler might be able to take Toby if Teddy can't, but, I can't stand the thought of those two growing up…without a loving mother, a father, and a happy family." Amy reached out and set her hand to Angelica's leg, gazing strongly into her eyes. Angelica held her breath as the woman tilted her head. "You can't deny me that…"

"That's…" She let out a sad chuckle and wiped her eyes. Her heart was pounding against her ribs and breaking into pieces. She didn't know how to respond to her request. "Really not fair. You know that's what-"

"What you said when you gave up Charlie. I know. You did because you loved her and you wanted what was best for her, and now…I'm doing the same, and I'm giving her back to you because…I know you will provide for her better than Bob's going to be able to in the future. Besides." Amy's lips curved into her sad smile and her shoulders rose from the water. "Charlie's happier with your family. She gets a lot from them, their smarts and everything…Please? One mother to another, I just want my baby girl, your baby girl, to be happy…to have a good life…that I know she will with you, Harold, and your family."

"Why? Why would you put that decision on me _now?_ I'm scared too, you know. There's Spencer, Jonathan's still out there, we're losing _you_, why add to the stress?"

"Because I know you can handle it." Amy's hand moved to hers and she gave it a gentle squeeze. "You've become stronger, and I know you can handle making that decision. Give it some thought, talk about it with your family, with Harold, even Teddy…but in the end, I want you to adopt Charlie. I'll talk to Teddy about Toby…"

"Oh god…" She _wanted_ to say yes. She wanted this so badly, and could imagine giving Charlie everything she needed in life, but she was scared. She was afraid she wouldn't have what it takes.

"You'll be fine, I'm just…not mentally stable anymore…just…help me rinse out my hair. You don't have to make the decision now or anything, take some time to think about it."

"I-I will."

"I know you'd make a great mother, Angelica. Charlie loves you, she loves her birth family as much as she loves us. I know Gabe, PJ, and Teddy will always be a part of your lives, and you theirs. So, if you do decide to…I have every bit of faith in you. And also, you're very much like a daughter to me…and I love you like I love my own daughter."

She knelt beside the tub, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thank you…" This was a lot to think about with college coming up, but it meant a lot to her that Amy trusted her so much. "I love you too, like a mom, you know…"

"I know."

* * *

Well what are your thoughts? A selfless act, met with another selfless act it would seem


	29. Charlie's Choice

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 29 (Charlie's Choice)

Angelica and Teddy met with Susie, Tommy, and the rest of Tommy's friends at a diner across the street from the movie that Spencer and Harold had taken Charlie to. They were out on the patio, overlooking the theater. Angelica had texted Harold, letting him know where they were, so they'd be waiting to see Charlie after the movie. Before they left the house, Amy had taken once more to clutching Toby in her arms, her anxiety returning like a fly buzzing around a cake.

Angelica and Teddy were both quiet and uncertain as they were dealing with Amy's request. "I don't know what to do," Angelica whined. This was one of the rare times she was actually going to Tommy and his friends for assistance, but she had a feeling that would increase as time went on. After all, she loved her cousin dearly and actually valued his opinions and suggestions quite often. "I mean, I'm scared. Amy wants _me_ to adopt Charlie…what if I don't have what it takes."

"Why wouldn't you?" Kimi asked. She was across the round table, facing Angelica. Teddy was to her right, Susie was to her left. Tommy was sitting beside Susie, then Chuckie was next to him. Kimi was on his other side, followed by Phil and Lil. Dil was in between Lil and Teddy. "I mean, this is your daughter, you know you'd do everything in your power to give her a good life. _We_ shouldn't have to tell you that." Tommy clapped his hands on the table and motioned a thumb to Kimi.

"She's right. Mom and Dad would help out as much as possible, too." Angelica laughed once and leaned back, glancing off to the theater. Aunt Didi and Uncle Stu were _always_ spoiling Charlie. They made the perfect grandparents, even though they weren't her actual grandparents. They purposely spoiled Charlie extra for the spirit of Charlotte and Drew. "Mrs. Duncan wants her children to have a good life, and I think you could provide that for her. You and Harold both."

"What about Toby?" Teddy inquired while running a shaky hand through her head. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I love my baby brother with all my heart, but I don't have a boyfriend that I plan on marrying after college, and there's no way I'm getting back with Spencer. Not after what he did…I just can't trust him in a relationship. It's the last time I'm letting him cheat on me."

"That's understandable." Angelica gave Teddy a one-armed hug around the shoulders and looked over to Tommy. "Do you guys think the college even allows housing for people with children?" She wasn't sure if it would even be necessary to worry about housing, she and Teddy likely could still attend the college while living at the house. Of course, it meant also taking care of Bob. She hated having to see a repeat of her father though, hopefully they could do something more for him when Amy passed. "We probably could stay at the house, I don't know…"

"It would be kind of difficult with the memories, but there's a chance." Teddy folded her hands over on the table and turned her gaze to the glass of water before her. Angelica's mouth dipped downwards as her eyes lifted to the clouds hovering over them in the sky. One cloud resembled a mother holding a baby, her eyes began to well up with tears as she tore her gaze away. "Honestly guys, I want to take my mom's request, I'm just afraid."

"You're not alone," Lillian remarked. Angelica and Teddy turned to the girl. She moved her forearm up to her cheek and leaned towards the right, locking her eyes with theirs. "Angelica's going to go through the same struggle and she's got her family to help out. You're going to have the same, I'm sure they'll all be more than willing to help you out. Not to mention, PJ, Gabe, and Skyler will also be a good help…"

"True, we're not alone in all of this."

"Don't be afraid," Dill added with a smile, "You should have seen Mom and Dad with Charlie the other day. Dad was showing off some invention and then she wound up cuddling on the couch with Mom. We all think you can do it, Mrs. Duncan thinks so. Maybe talk to Mom and Dad about it, see what they think, but I predict they'll say the same." Angelica's pride sang in her heart and she slowly looked towards the movie theater, smiling with hope as she imagined life with her daughter.

"I've never been selfish to want to take her from the Duncan family, I wanted what was best for Charlie. I want her to be happy." Amy was right to say Charlie might not be happy growing up in a broken and depressed family. She needed a family that would love her, take care of her. "I love my baby, with all my heart, and I would hate to ever see her hurt." Teddy nodded her head and leaned back in the chair, slowly tilting it on its back legs for a brisk second.

"I agree, and I feel the same way for Toby. He'll never know mom, and Dad's just…I'm worried about him. I mean, I worry about Gabe too, but he'll be okay, he's strong.'

"Yeah." Her side glance caught Spencer and Harold crossing the street with Charlie. Charlie had a large hat with red diamond sunglasses and was wearing a floral patterned dress. Charlie was holding Harold's hand and eating an ice cream cone in her other hand. The sight made Angelica's heart flutter as she reached for a napkin to wipe the ice cream from Charlie's face. "Here they come."

When they made it to the patio, Charlie called out to her excitedly and ran up to her, "Momma! The movie was amazing!" The young girl lifted her arms up for Angelica to lift her. Angelica laughed happily and lifted her to her lap, then proceeded to wipe away the chocolate ice cream splattered onto her face. It strangely reminded her of when she was her age, always eating too many sweets, despite her parents telling her not to. Teddy's lips curved up at the mother and daughter, and their friends all watched happily.

"What did you see, dear?"

"A movie about a princess. The movie was fun, then the dads took me to the ice cream stand and got me rocky road!"

She looked up to the men approvingly, "That was nice of them." Harold stepped behind her and leaned forward, resting his hands on her shoulders and lightly kissing her cheek. Spencer leaned back against the rails of the patio and folded his arms across his chest, smiling at Charlie. "I'm glad you had a good time with your dad." The question of the moment would be 'which one' is considered the dad, but it wasn't a pressing subject. She just assumed Harold was more the father than Spencer would be. "I presume Spencer was well behaved?"

"He was!" Charlie exclaimed happily. Spencer smirked lightly and bowed his head, snickering at the moment. "He didn't even look at one girl the entire time!" His eyebrow shot up, Angelica and Teddy both laughed. The girl's innocence was adorable.

She heard a phone click off and looked over to see Tommy hanging up his cell, she hadn't realized he was on the phone at all. "Just spoke with mom and dad." Her eyes widened briskly, then relaxed as she felt Charlie shifting about in her lap. Her daughter had turned around and was focused on finishing her ice cream. The love for this little girl filled her heart, she was extremely happy and hopeful that she could give this child a good life. "They said they'd be thrilled and support whatever you decide to do." Charlie moved her head backwards, gazing up at Angelica, meeting her tender eyes with her own crystal blue eyes.

"What's he talking about, Momma?" Now came the hard part for her, telling Charlie the news. She felt Harold's firm, yet gentle hands massaging her shoulder, and Teddy reached over to stroke her forearm. Charlie dipped down to bite into the ice cream. She looked so precious sitting there, seemingly without a care in the world. The girl looked up at her with a bright and toothy grin. There was a tiny crust of ice cream framing her pink lips.

"You have ice cream all over you, sweetheart." Angelica tabbed the napkin on her tongue and quickly wiped away the crust. Charlie groaned and laughed, swatting at her hand. The others cooed at the sight. When she pulled the napkin away, the ice cream crust was gone. "There, much better." A devious look flashed through the girl's eyes as she turned back to the ice cream. She sighed as Charlie dipped her mouth back into the ice cream, dirtying it up once again. With a smile she hugged her daughter and kissed her forehead. "You're not going to let mommy clean up that ice cream face, are you?"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Well okay, but just so you know, you have no more ammo once you're done with the ice cream. You can't avoid my cleaning napkin forever." Charlie laughed and Angelica hugged her once more. The girl moved her head to her breast and dropped her shoulders in a contented sigh. Her beady eyes bore into the nearly finished ice cream.

"B-Momma…" Her voice was soft and quiet, yet it commanded the attention of everyone at the table. The next words to fall from her lips were powerful like thunder, but sweeter than candy and with a heavenly tune, "I love you." Angelica gasped softly, feeling her heart swelling to an enormous size. A tear left her eyes and she pulled her daughter closer, resting her chin on her head.

"I love you too, baby."

"I love Momma Amy too. She used to pay attention to me, but now she doesn't. I know it's because of what happened, but I still don't understand…" Her heart broke hearing those words. Teddy moved her hand over her chest and slowly lifted her other hand, grooming Charlie's hair.

"She _does_ love you," Teddy said. Charlie lifted her eyes up to her sister and smiled slightly. "She loves you so much, she wants you to be happy. She wants the best for you, Charlie. You and Toby both." Angelica met Teddy's eyes, knowing this was where they had to break the news. "I'm…going to be taking Toby into my care."

"What?" Charlie turned to Teddy, her eyebrows lifted up into her blonde bangs, and her eyes began to enlarge.

"Mom asked that I do it. One of her final requests…"

"Is A-Mommy…is she really…is she going to the better place?" Angelica _still_ wanted to know why and where Charlie had been able to learn about death and about _sex_. She was far too young for the latter! Supposedly, it was just a part of the past, but either way, it was too much.

"Yes," She replied. Charlie looked back to her mother, tears welling up in her eyes. "But she'll be watching over us all. She wants you and Toby to have a good life, to be happy…which brings me to what we need to talk about." Charlie tilted her head and locked her eyes with her, full of concern.

"What is it momma?"

"Well…sweetie…" Angelica groomed the girl's hair back and slowly removed her hat, revealing the long ponytail. Charlie bit into her ice cream cone and chewed on it, what little ice cream left was beginning to melt. "Amy's asked me, just as she asked Teddy to take care of Toby, to…adopt you back into my family." Charlie's head snapped up and a gasp left her slowly smiling lips. Her eyes sparkled in the sun and the cone nearly fell from her hands, Angelica had to reach down and grasp the cone to prevent it from dropping.

"She really said that? Why?" Angelica slowly inhaled and lifted her hand up to Harold's hand, resting on her right shoulder. He squeezed her hand in return and she slowly bounced Angelica on her leg.

"Because she wants you to have a good life, she believes, and so does Teddy as well as myself, that you'll be happier. She tells me when she's…watching over us from heaven, that she knows Bob won't be in good shape."

"Like…Like Grandpa Drew was?"

"Yes…" Charlie bowed her head and turned her eyes towards the right, sighing heavily. "She says she wants you to have the love of a mother, a father, and a family that will treat you with the love and affection that you deserve." Angelica smiled at the young girl and tucked a strand of Charlie's hair behind her ear. "I know Grandpa Stu and Grandma Didi would love having you over more often."

"I love Grandma and Grandpa Stu an Didi. Uncle Tommy and Uncle Dill are great too." Angelica chuckled and glanced over at her two cousins, they were smiling bashfully and glancing at one another. "Dill always talks to me about aliens and UFOs!"

"Yeah?" Angelica squinted one eye at Dill and smirked as he covered a smile with his hand. "I'm going to have to talk to him about that, aren't I?"

"And Uncle Tommy's making a video biography of me for my birthday!" Angelica laughed and rubbed Charlie's hair, she was more than happy to hear of this. Although the girl's birthday wasn't for a while, she had no trouble with the movie idea.

"You don't say?" Tommy lifted up his video camera and grinned at the group.

"I think I can get Toby to play the birth scene."

"That would be good." Charlie took another bite of her cone, practically finishing it off. Angelica breathed in slowly and looked up to Harold, then back to Charlie. "Harold and I plan on getting married after college, so Amy knows he would be your daddy. Would you like that?"

"More than ever! But…A-Momma's doing what you did for me? I thought that you couldn't…"

"At the time, sweetie." She wanted to be completely honest with her daughter, not telling her that she'd 'understand when she was older'. She understood a _lot_ now, so it was best to just be open and honest. "I love you with all my heart, I've loved you since the moment the nurse put you in my arms and I saw your beautiful eyes looking up at me." Charlie looked up to her with a beautiful glow, hugging Angelica tight. "As you know, I was only fourteen when you were born. My mother had…just passed, and my dad wasn't doing well. I couldn't get a job, I was struggling in school, and my boyfriend at the time wanted nothing to do with me." She didn't even turn to look at Spencer, but she could sense him cringing with guilt. There were things she just couldn't forgive him for, and leaving her pregnant was one of them. "I wanted to keep you with me at the time, but I _knew_ I couldn't take care of you. You wouldn't be happy at the time, my family was a mess and nobody really could take in a baby…when I heard Mrs. Duncan lost her baby, I knew a family that wasn't going through such a tough time, a family that _could_ give you what you needed…would be able to take care of you."

"And now…A-Momma wants to return the favor?" That was putting it very simply, but it was exactly what Amy was doing. "You're going to adopt me, Momma?" Angelica gave her a smile, tears stinging her own eyes. She was nervous, who knew the acceptance of a child could mean the world.

"You're everything to me, baby. Amy and I want to make sure you're happy. We love you and only want the best for you."

"You want me?"

"More than anything. Harold and I, your grandparents, we'd love for you to grow with us. I can promise you, you'll always be in touch with the Duncan family, especially considering Teddy's become one of my closest friends." Charlie grinned at her sister, clearly pleased to know Teddy would always be around. "Gabe and Tommy are good friends, and you'll always see PJ. They're a part of the family, they always will be. They took you in, they took me in when I needed it, so they'll _always_ be a part of our lives."

"Okay. That makes me _very_ happy!" Charlie swallowed her last bite of the cone and curled up in Angelica's lap, wrapping her tiny arms around her. Teddy rubbed Charlie's back and Harold moved his strong arms around mother and daughter.

Angelica looked up at Spencer. He had a downtrodden expression, his eyes were filled with longing. He knew she, nor Teddy or anyone else, truly trusted him. Clearly he wanted to be a part of their future, but Angelica wasn't sure how much of a part she wanted him to have. She didn't even want child support from him, since he didn't even care to give it to her before. Maybe things would have been different if he cared _before_, but no, he had to go around playing every woman he ever came in contact with. He disgusted all of them. He'd have to earn their trust, prove his loyalty, and show that he was actually changing. Until then, she didn't want him to have any part of their lives.

She cleared her throat and looked back to Charlie, gazing lovingly, "So. It's your decision. Do you want to live with me?" Charlie looked up to her, gazing for a few seconds before confirming with a nod.

"Yes mommy." With those words, Angelica was ready to break down and cry, they were the most beautiful two words to come from Charlie's mouth. Next to the 'I Love you', of course. She couldn't be happier knowing her baby would be taken care of, and that she would be able to raise her.

* * *

Well, your thoughts thus far?


	30. Sharing in the Good News

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 30 (Sharing in the Good News)

This would have been a more difficult decision if Charlie hadn't seen it coming mentally. With Amy dying, and Bob seemingly becoming a recluse, if that was the right term, she knew difficult times were coming. She was happy, though, and couldn't wait to tell Toby and her friends the good news. She wanted to be with her birth family more than anything, and what it also sounded like, Teddy might be a roommate with Angelica. In that case, she'd get to grow up with Toby, and that was going to be a lot of fun.

Knowing the time of day, she figured Dee and Mason would be at the daycare, simply because their parents usually took them there. So with a good amount of asking, she managed to Harold to take her to the daycare for a while and let her play. Once there, Harold joined the parents who were still around watching over their kids, and Charlie hurried to the center of the room, gazing about.

Instantly she saw Dee in the corner of the room, rubbing her chin as she eyed a closet door cracked open. "Dee! Dee, what are you up to?" She rushed over and Dee gave her a bright smile, bouncing once on her heels.

"I'm playing cops and robbers. My daddy's a police guy, so I'm training to be just like him." Of course, that was what Dee _always_ wanted to do. She was a daddy's girl, after all. "The suspect is in there, I'm sure of it. I just have to think how to flush him out." Charlie looked to the door and started walking over, leaning against the wall and gazing straight ahead, whistling a soft tune. She folded her arms over and lifted her leg, Dee immediately knew what she was up to. Before she could protest, Charlie slammed her foot on the door.

"Ouch!" Mason's voice came from the closet and he stumbled out, shaking his head. "Necessary?"

She grinned, flashing her shiny baby teeth, causing Dee to break out in laughter. "Very." Her friend walked over while Mason merely shook his head, she didn't want to wait any longer to bring up the good news. "Mason, how is life with your Uncle Emmett?" Mason's eyes danced over and his lips curved up.

"Fun! I mean, I don't _live _with him yet because he goes to college, but I will soon. I see him all the time, we have loads of fun. What about you?"

"I'm going to be adopted by my birth family!" Mason raised an eyebrow and Dee smiled, but both still looked a bit confused. She knew they understood what adoption was, primarily because Dee explained it to her once. The first time she met Angelica, she was still curious as to what adoption was, so Dee was the one to tell her, always the oldest and wisest of the group. She held her hands behind her back and took a deep breath. "There's this bad man, he hurt my adoptive momma…"

"What did he do?" Dee frowned and her expression changed to determination, as though she wanted to catch Jonathan like a cat catches a mouse. Dee clenched her hand and shook her fist in front of her chest. "I'll make sure Daddy finds that bad man." There wasn't a whole lot anyone could do about it, she just figured it was best to let the grownups deal with the man. She didn't like thinking about what happened, it broke her heart, but she had to let her friends know.

"He shot her...she's…" She didn't want to say _dying_, death was still a sore topic for everyone. Perhaps not for Dee, but she knew what death was simply because of her father's work. Dee and Mason looked stunned, their eyes widening. Charlie closed her hands and shut her eyes. "She's dying, adoptive dad's becoming a recluse." Mason's gaze flattened and his voice grew monotonous for a second.

"What is a recluse?"

It was Dee who answered, getting to the definition before Charlie could. "A recluse is someone that shuts himself away from everyone. A hider. I remember because Daddy was going over a case where a suspect was known to be a 'recluse'. I asked and he told me. They're very anti-social, which Daddy says means they don't like people." While Charlie didn't think Bob was becoming _anti-social, _she couldn't help but think he probably was somewhere along those lines. "So Charlie, what's going to happen to Toby? Do you know?"

"I think Momma, B-mom, said Toby was getting adopted by Teddy. Also, Teddy and mom might be roommates like PJ and Emmett are. If that happens, I'm going to be _so-so_ happy!"

"Well Toby is your brother, adopted or not, so of course you'd be happy. Toby's amazing! I saw him at the park a couple weeks ago with your adopted mom, he was chatting up this other baby. It was fun, I think he's got a baby crush." Charlie laughed and rubbed her chin, smirking deviously.

"I may have to ask about that." Love was a funny term. Maybe _real_ love, like what her mom and dad; Angelica and Harold had, didn't happen for a long time. Yet it wasn't unusual for someone as young as Toby himself to have a small little crush on another baby. Toddlers and infants called this 'baby love', _not_ like the song that Teddy liked by a band named the Supremes. It was their form of 'puppy love' that preteens and older children experienced. Then real love started coming around Gabe's age and older.

Contrary to popular belief, babies understand far more than grownups thought. "Actually the girl's here," Mason waved his hand in the air and led them over to the infant area of the daycare. Inside were about three mothers, one she remembered as a friend of Teddy's that hadn't been around for a long time, Alice Wartheimer. She was rocking in a chair, holding on to an infant that couldn't be more than a few months old! Had that been why she disappeared? She had a baby? "We're not really supposed to go back there."

"You may not be able to go back there, Mason and Dee, but _I'm_ going back there."

Dee put her hands to her hips and tapped her foot, always the responsible one. "Charlie." She flashed her friend a toothy grin and looked towards the grownups. They weren't looking, so she quickly slipped into the infant room and made her way towards Alice. Alice had fallen asleep, but the baby was wide awake. She felt someone tap her shoulder and looked back to see Dee and Mason, she started to question why they decided to come back, but Dee let out an exhausted sigh and answered before she could ask. "Why is it whenever we spend time together, you end up getting me doing things that I'd get in trouble for?"

"I don't know! A girl's got to take risks sometimes." The baby groaned lightly and looked out to the group, smiling warmly. Charlie bounced happily and put her fingers to the armchair, looking into the young girl's eyes. "Hi! I'm Charlie and these are my friends, Dee and Mason. My little brother, Toby, was talking to you in the park a while back, I think."

"Oh?" The baby was so young that she probably wouldn't understand much of the human language yet. Charlie had to remember what little of the language _she _understood when she was a couple months old, then compare that to what Dee and Mason understood when they were a couple months. "I-I'm Regina. Momma's asleep, she had a place to go to called 'work'."

"Should I take her phone and call her dad?"

"What?"

Dee rolled her eyes and cleared her throat, "Ignore her, Regina, she's always trying to do things she shouldn't do." Charlie smiled innocently as her friend narrowed her eyes and sighed deeply. "She gets it from her mother, really. I don't know what she gets from her dad, if anything!" Charlie wasn't sure either. She got her mom's looks, her mom's eyes, her mother's smile and personality as well as the brains. She _was_, however, taller than most people her age. She could grow tall like Spencer.

"I don't know what I get from my dad. I don't know who my dad is. Just momma and me. Oh, and, momma's parents."

"Oh!" Well that was a depressing thing, but Charlie could understand not knowing her dad. While she knew Bob, it was a little different. When she met Angelica, she always wondered about her real dad. Now that she _knew_ who he was, she had mixed feelings. On one hand, Spencer was _trying_, everyone could see he was _trying_. On the other hand, Spencer really hurt Angelica, Teddy, the Duncan family. It was going to take more than just a few apologies to get into their good graces. "Well Regina, when were you born?"

"I think…momma says I was born July. I heard her talking to grandma once about dad, she said she wanted nothing to do with the 'drunken' something else that didn't sound right…what does that mean?" Charlie cleared her throat and just as Dee was about to explain, put a hand over her mouth. She didn't want Dee getting all big-worded with an _infant_.

"Something that you will most likely find out about when you're older Regina." Regina meshed her eyebrows together and frowned as Dee shrugged her shoulders. Charlie smiled pleasantly, ignoring the fact that it sounded like Alice had zero intentions of ever telling her daughter about her father. "_Anyway_, so you're just a few months. I was born in May of 2009, so I'm three years old, I'll be four soon! Dee here is two years older." Regina looked confused by the numbers, which Charlie very well understood. She held her fingers up and sighed. "Okay so that means I'm three, Dee is five years old. One, two, three, four, five. The most basic thing you're going to learn how to do when you get older is to count."

"One…two…t-three? Four and five?" Charlie clapped her hands, cheering for her new friend. She loved feeling like Dee for once in her life, being able to teach someone younger than she was! She turned around and smirked at Dee, who was rolling her eyes and smiling at her.

"Take that Dee-ann, I can teach someone younger too!" Dee smirked back at her, enjoying their usual playful banter.

"Oh, well teach her how to be able to talk to grownups without babbling as all infants do, then come see me." She snapped her fingers and Mason snickered, stopping only when she glared at him. "But yes, Charlie turns four before I turn six, so there's a couple months difference. You'll learn, Regina. Now Mason here-" Mason waved awkwardly and started to chuckle, having hoped to be silent during this time. "-Mason's three years old, but will turn four in January. He's just a couple months older than Charlie." Charlie looked to Regina, the girl was gazing at them with wide eyes and had put her tiny hands on the small tuft of red hair on the top of her head. She sighed and spun around, waving her hands in the air.

"Okay you guys are confusing her." Dee raised an eyebrow and hummed at her. Mason laughed. "Okay so I'm doing the same thing, sure, but seriously guys! She's only three months old, Toby's four so there's a difference."

"Um as fun as this is, I need someone to wake up my momma." Regina pointed a tiny finger to her mother and Charlie shifted her gaze towards Alice. "Please? She really can't be late."

"Where does she work?"

"She _just_ got promoted to something called a manager. Her old boss got um…what does _fired_ mean?"

"It means _his_ boss was tired of him and that he no longer works there. Alice got his job!" She remembered Hugh as Regina's former boss. It was a hallelujah moment, hearing that he got fired!

"How do you know so much?"

"Toby asks me the same thing." She laughed in vain, always proud of herself. "My birth family is an incredibly smart family, I got their genes!"

Regina looked perplexed, lifting her eyebrows and thinning her lips together. "What are-"

"Nevermind that!" Charlie rushed over to Alice and started shaking the woman's arm. Alice awoke with a moan and looked over to Charlie, recognition hitting her eyes. "Miss Alice! You have to wake up! You're late!"

"W-What? Charlie? I didn't know you came here, did Teddy?"

"No, I'm here with my dad. Where have _you_ been all this time?"

"Away." Alice looked to her watch and gasped. "Oh my, I need to get to work!" Alice slowly rose to her feet, cradling Regina close. Regina popped her head over her mother's shoulder as she departed and waved.

"Bye bye! Maybe I'll see you guys again!"

"Maybe!" Charlie waved happily, then smirked at Dee and Mason. "I think I'm going to have a little talk with Toby. I'm so excited! It's his baby love!" Dee laughed and shook her head and Mason simply smiled. He looked up when Emmett walked into the room.

"Mason? You're not supposed to be in here." Emmett put his hands to his hips and shifted his eyes to Dee and Charlie. "Dee too, huh? Let me guess, Charlie." She beamed innocently as Dee muttered under her breath. "Anyway Mason, it's time to get going. I need to get back to campus, so I have to drop you off with Grandma and Grandpa." He hoisted Mason up and smiled at the girls. "Tell your friends goodbye."

Mason stretched his arm out and waved his fingers. "Bye!" Once Emmett departed, Dee rubbed her forehead and looked to Charlie.

"Great. I need to get out of here before my daddy finds out that I snuck into the infant r-"

"Dee-Dee!" Dee winced at the masculine voice and growled as Charlie slowly backed away from her friend. Doug Dooley stood tall in his decorated uniform, the bill of his police cap hid his eyebrows and bordered the tips of his eyes. "You know you're not supposed to be in here young lady. Now come on, it's time to go home." He picked her up and began leaving the room. Dee was _still_ glaring at Charlie over his shoulder.

"Love you Dee!" Charlie chimed happily and began bouncing out of the infant room just in time to run into Harold's legs. "Whoops." Harold peered down at her, laughing as he reached down and picked her up.

"Did you get your friends in trouble again, Charlie?"

She spoke softly and bowed her head, maintaining an apologetic and guilty look. "Yes, Daddy…" She widened her eyes and brought her eyebrows together, glancing up with sadness in her eyes. "I sorry."

"Aw, I can't possibly be mad at that." He bounced a finger on her nose, giving her a stern but loving look. "You're going to have to follow rules though, you're not allowed in that room." He sighed heavily and began walking towards the front door. "Though, like mother like daughter. Oh yes, your mother was quite a troublemaker when she was young."

"I made a new friend, though! Her name's Regina!" Oh yes, there were many years to come of getting Regina in trouble too. It just wouldn't be _right_ if she didn't!

"Well I'm glad for that." He tilted his head and hummed as he looked into her mischievous gaze. "Though should I be concerned whether it's a good thing or not?"

"It _is_ a good thing, but you know me Daddy, I'm just going to get her into so much trouble into the future."

"Yep. I can see that." She giggled and put her hand over her mouth to cover a growing smirk.

* * *

Oh Charlie, just like your mother. Well what do you guys think of the chapter? Oh, and your thoughts on Regina? My usual GLC readers are probably going to be interested by her existence, but no worries, we aren't going to focus on her parents too much here. What do you think of Charlie in this, as well as her friends?


	31. Sibling Banter

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 31 (Sibling Banter)

Back home, Charlie ran through the house in pursuit of Toby. She actually missed him because Amy had him wrapped up in a blanket that was over her lap. He was _still_ in the same place! With a heavy sigh, she made her way towards Toby and climbed the couch beside Amy's wheelchair. Toby looked up at her with a groan. "Hey Charlie. Do me a favor. Drop me on the ground a few times. I miss it."

"Why on _earth_ would I do that to my sweet little baby brother?"

"As if you haven't done other crazy things to me." She chuckled innocently as Toby stretched his arms out and yawned loudly. Yes, she'd done many things to him from attempting to stash him away in the mailbox to covering him up in air fresheners, and so much more. "So I heard that we're being adopted."

"Well yes, I'm going to be with my birth mommy and you're going to be with Teddy. But I think they're going to be rooming together, therefore we get to be together too!"

"Oh good, more opportunity for you to try and hide me in the laundry basket."

"You needed to be cleansed!" Toby rolled his eyes and smirked at her. Judging by the devious look in his eyes, she was already certain he was planning some younger brother antics for when they got older. She narrowed her eyes and hummed. "You're not thinking of being like the younger brother on TV shows are you? You know, the annoying one?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Time will tell." Oh he was an evil little child, she taught him well! Toby shifted his gaze up towards his mother and frowned, Amy was asleep as Alice had been. "She's hardly moved. I can't stand it! I think I'd go crazy if you weren't here to keep me company. Strangely enough. I talk like I've not already gone crazy. You're rubbing off on me Charlie, and I'm not sure if that's good or bad."

"We shall see little one, we shall see." Of course she rubbed off on him, she rubbed off on everyone she was around! Heck, for being a few months old, Toby was smart. It was her fault of course, she taught him a lot of things. She wouldn't be surprised if she was subject of his 'first word' to the grownups. "Oh guess what, Toby. I taught someone to count to five. A little baby girl younger than you by a whole month!" Toby raised his eyebrows as a tiny smirk stretched across her face. "Your baby-love."

"What?"

"Regina." His cheeks reddened and he quickly looked away. "Oh I know you're about to deny it, I think you have a tiny crush on that baby. She seemed to remember you." His eyes shot back to her and he began stuttering. "Oh yes, oh yes, it is true, your baby love!" She put her hands to her chest and started singing that song Teddy liked in order to tease. "B-Baby love, baby love!"

"Okay cut it out." With a grunt, he looked away once more. "She's a nice girl, she's kind of naïve though. Um, am I using that word right? Naïve?"

"Toby…_you're _naïve. You and Regina are _babies_, both of you are innocent and not all that knowledgeable about the world around you. You've got a lot to learn as you grow up."

"A yes or no would have been just fine."

She twitched her nose and grinned. "I know, but I couldn't give you the satisfaction." She reached over and kissed the tip of his head and moved her hand around his. "I love you little brother." He blushed once more and scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too sis. Even though you're not my real sister, we're still kind of like siblings, right?"

"Of course! I can't wait for all the things I get to drag you along on."

"Should I be worried?"

"Very."

"I'm glad you're being honest about this." She laughed as Toby shook his head. "I wouldn't have it any other way." She agreed, there was nothing better than a little playful banter with a beloved sibling. They were going to have the best time growing up. They could be happy with their families, of course, she had to hope that Jonathan wouldn't be coming around. He was a very scary man, she did not need any of that stress or fear. He tried to hurt her momma too many times. He wasn't going to do it again as far as she was concerned. "Hey Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Your birth father…what's the deal with him? I know it's Spencer, isn't it?"

"Right. He's uh…I guess he's all right, I don't know. He's got to be honest with Mom and Auntie Teddy." Officially she wanted to call Teddy 'aunt' because of how close the girl had become to Charlie. Toby didn't bat an eyelash at it and simply stared on, listening to her continue her tale. "He's trying to be a better person. He and Daddy Harold were talking and he said he really wanted to try and be a father. I think his days of playing games with women are over."

"He'll have to prove he cares. Until he's willing to take a bullet for his daughter, he won't be worth much to his baby mama." She shot him a concerned look, arching her eyebrow high. Toby chuckled nervously and pointed towards the television, "Mom was watching a movie before you came home."

"So you just used a movie quote on me."

"Yes. Do you think your mom or Teddy will ever hook up with him?" There literally was no chance of that happening. Her mom was already planning to marry Harold after college, or during. Teddy had been hurt twice by Spencer and did not look like she wanted anything to do with him for any third chance.

"That's very doubtful, Toby. He and Dad already talked too about whether Spencer would ever try anything with Mom. Spencer said he had no interest in her in that way anymore, he only wanted to prove to her that he cared about me. I heard Spencer say he was also aware nothing could or would ever happen again with Teddy, that he can't erase the mistakes he made but he can at least try to make it right for the people that matter."

"You."

"Yep, for some reason he loves me. I guess because I'm his daughter. Dad loves me like I'm his own too, so I got one momma and maybe two dads!" Toby laughed heartily and looked back towards the stairs. Charlie felt a clinching in her chest as she followed his gaze. None of them had seen Bob in so long it felt like, was he ever going to come out of that room?

"Mom got more news from the doctor, Char-Char…" She raised an eyebrow, both of them still looking at the stairs. "She won't make it to the Christmas. It was the first time I saw Dad, also the last. She screamed for him until he came down, looking like a ghost…told him the news. They cried together, then he went back."

Her heart broke, she felt a rush of wind escaping her lungs and a chill that shot down her spine. "No…" It was October now, that meant there were two months before Christmas. The bullet was going to take Amy's life within that timeframe? She grabbed her chest and clenched her eyes shut, weeping silent tears. "I hate that man. Jonathan. I hate him."

"He's a dangerous man. Plus what he did to your mom…"

"Toby. You don't know what death is just yet." Toby slowly shook his head and Charlie began shaking. She didn't want to be the one to teach him, but at this point, she couldn't truly control herself. "Death isn't always something to be afraid of, something to fear. My grandpa and my grandma passed away, that means death. Jonathan 'killed' my grandma, Grandpa became like Bob is…" Toby's eyes started to widen as Charlie swept her thumb across her eyes. "Jonathan wanted to be the cause of my mom's 'death'. He failed because Tommy and Gabe saved her…Spencer took some book that belonged to his."

"So death…can be good and bad…you're saying?"

"Yes. Death is when someone has to go away. Mason's mom and dad 'went away' and he has to stay with Emmett." Toby frowned and moved his tiny fingers over his mouth. Charlie felt her heart beating rapidly as she looked towards Amy. "When the doctor says Amy won't make it to Christmas…"

"No…"

"That's why…that's why she asked Angelica and Teddy to adopt us." The tears welling up in her eyes burned her retinas and scarred her cheeks with bright red stains. "It means they're going away. Amy's going away, she'll always live within your heart and mine, but she won't physically be here. It's…it's a matter of…time." Time. Jonathan's greatest weapon. Of course, he seemed to be bent on anger and revenge. He worked for her birth father's father, so she hoped the man would be safe. Dare he to try and fire Jonathan, where things may possibly go wrong from there. It was the same thing her grandmother had done, the act that spawned everything.

"What happens…with Death? Char-Char?"

"Um, Susie and Dee tell me that people who pass on go to a better place in the sky." She pointed to the ceiling and Toby started to smile. "A place where no one hurts, no one cries and nobody suffers ever again." Toby looked to his mother and slowly nodded his head.

"Good. Because if mom has to pass on…I don 't want her to hurt anymore."

"She'll be happy and she'll look over all of us. See, death isn't a bad thing, it can be a great thing. It's not always the best alternative, but it can be good for someone in like…Amy's situation."

"I understand." Toby sighed and shook his head. "Somehow it doesn't seem right, knowing about death at just four months of age." Charlie chuckled nervously, at least he didn't have to know about sex so early. "I don't think I'm supposed to. How is it you and I can have intelligent conversations like this?"

"Because I'm a genius like my birth family and I teach you many things that someone your age shouldn't normally be able to comprehend."

"Lovely way to put it."

"I know, right? Anyway, I'm going to go up and check on Bob."

"Where are Teddy and Angelica, by the way?"

"Talking with the family social worker about what has to happen with Amy's request." She knew the social worker was able to let Angelica adopt her. The family was financially stable, Angelica could hold down a job, though she'd have to get one. She was going to go to college and study in politics as planned, and was going to marry Harold. The social worker was more than happy to oblige her, especially considering she was the birth mother. Teddy was a little different, just a tad bit more difficult for her to take in Toby. The one thing she had going for her was she was Toby's older sister.

Charlie hopped of the couch and made her way towards the stairs, pausing only when she felt a cold spell strike her body. She ignored it and trudged forward. As she moved up the stairs, she heard Gabe's voice in his bedroom. He was on the phone with someone, most likely Jo. Currently, he seemed to be the only person in the house. She knew Teddy and Angelica were dealing with a social worker and lawyer, talking about the future. PJ was likely at his dormitory.

An odd smell struck her nose as she turned to her adopted father's bedroom. It was reminiscent of Toby when he would change his diaper. _"Did someone have an accident up here?"_ She started moving for the door and reached up to the knob as Gabe began walking from his bedroom. He had the phone to his ear still.

"Yeah Jo, I need to figure out what that smell is." He paused and glanced at the door. "It's coming from the bedroom. Dad's been pretty bad about hygiene lately."

Charlie took a step away from the door, she had a feeling that she shouldn't go into the room. The smell was too powerful for her to bear, so she retreated down the steps and let Gabe go inside instead. Toby looked up at her in question, "How is Dad?"

"I don't know, the smell's too strong. Gabe went in."

"Okay." Just then, they heard a loud scream and a sharp expletive that Charlie quickly informed Toby to never repeat. Her pulse started to quicken as Gabe shot out of the bedroom and rounded the stairs. Immediately he informed Charlie she was not to go upstairs. Tears were in his eyes as he ran into the kitchen where they heard him throwing up. "Char-Char? What was that about?"

"I…" She was astonished, speechless. What had she missed? "Don't know."

* * *

Another hilarious chapter, though what are your thoughts?


	32. Making Arrangements

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 32 (Discussing the Arrangements)

"So we'll have to get a couple jobs?" Angelica listened to Teddy talking with the social worker while moving slightly in the round black leather chair across from the woman's desk. Harold was seated in a chair to her right and Teddy was in the chair on her left. She wasn't too sure she wanted to get a job right now, but she could if it was absolutely necessary. It was Amy who said to speak with the social worker _now_ and work out all the details. The social worker had spoken with Amy, verifying that she was indeed dying and that this was her request.

Amy would have to sign the custody papers, and in doing so, there would be no real hassle. The thing the woman wanted to make certain was that Angelica was indeed in a stable situation. Financially, she was able to prove that. She _did_ do occasional jobs as a nanny here and there, but for the most part she dealt with the income received from her parents as well as her family. Harold himself was already working as an assistant for their old teacher, Mr. Pangborn.

"Yes," replied the woman. She had frilly red hair and a sharp but pleasant expression. Her face was round and inviting with her heightened cheekbones and bold smile. The name on the desk said Helen Opal. "Or at least you will need a job, Teddy, if you are to adopt Toby. You need to be financially stable and in a good situation. However, as I've told Angelica, there is nothing that says you can't adopt and let the child stay with a relative if necessary." Helen turned towards her and breathed in slowly, humming as she did so. "Now Angelica, about Charlie's birth father. Is he involved in any way?"

"I think he wants to be, but I'm honestly not sure how involved I want him to be." She wasn't sure how much she trusted him around Charlie, if he was really committed to being there for her or not. "I'm_ considering_ visitation rights, he's asking to be able to pay child support. Do you know Spencer Walsh? That's the father."

"The Walsh family?" Helen hummed to herself, tapping her chin with the black ink pen she had. "Why yes, that's the son of Denver's top attorney. Either way, if the father wishes to pay child support, why not take it? If it's a matter of pride, consider the child's well being instead. You would have money coming in for her."

"I understand." It _was_ a matter of pride. Spencer hadn't been there for her before and all of a sudden he wanted to be there for them _now_? "The thing is he's got this sudden dose of 'responsibility' and I just want to make sure it's not a temporary thing."

"I understand, and you're not the first woman to have that fear about their child's father." Helen reached over and pat her hand, giving her a reassuring and comforting gaze. "I've met many young women out there who say their baby's father left when they were pregnant and came back wishing to have some responsibility years later. They're always doubtful about his integrity. Sometimes they're genuine and sometimes they think they can handle the responsibility and won't follow through, but I've seen more times than not where the father _does_ follow through. I say give him a chance with the child support. If you're still not sure about visitation, that's your choice, but at the very least if he wishes to pay child support, let him."

"I guess I can talk to him a bit. My fiancé's talked to him about it a little." Harold _was_ her fiancé in every way, though there was no ring, they knew they were going to be married. Helen nodded and looked over to Harold, who was more than willing to divulge some information.

"He says he does make money. He works at a theme park seasonally and for the rest of the year he does have an allowance that he gets from his father. He said he's more than willing to pay child support if Angelica will let him. I believe he said that every month he gets about eight hundred from his father." That was surprising news to her, because child support tended to range about thirty percent of the salary. She wasn't too certain if that was correct or not, but either or, it was enough to help. What was really important was simply swallowing her pride.

"I still don't know about visitation or any of that, I don't want him around Charlie without Harold or someone there to make sure he's behaving right and not just ignoring her…child support? I guess I can do that."

"Well take some time to think about it. As for the custody arrangements, it may take a little bit of time to get everything situated, but don't worry, I'll be able to process everything." She took a deep breath and thanked the woman. Was she nervous? Of course, but she was happy. Helen had reassured her that there was no chance of Charlie being thrown into the 'system', the woman wouldn't allow it even if something were to happen to the Duncans. As long as the birth mother were still around, even if something tragic came along, Angelica would normally be the first person social workers contacted outside of the adoptive family, in order to see if she wanted to take her child into her life.

As they left the building, they saw Spencer waiting for them. He had a hopeful look in his eyes. Angelica frowned and moved over to him, folding her arms over. Clearly he was interested in seeing how the custody agreement was going, he appeared to want Charlie to be happy too. She was still suspicious of him, but didn't she have a right to be? "Spencer, where do you work at now or is it just the theme park on a _seasonal_ basis?"

"Theme park during the summer and on holidays. Aside from that, I work in a retail shop at the mall year round." She narrowed her eyes and breathed in as he pushed his hands into his pockets and bowed his head. "From the retail store I get about three hundred monthly. From Dad, eight hundred. So my total monthly earnings right now would be eleven hundred. That is, um…subject to change in March of next year, 2013. When I turn eighteen, Dad's going to be giving me less and expecting me to get a better job while I go off to college."

"I'm not going to lie, Spencer…I don't _trust_ you yet. Not completely. I don't trust you around my daughter, alone, so I'm skeptical even about visitation." He lifted his head and opened his mouth, but spoke no words. A sliver of pain shot through his eyes. Angelica felt a bit of guilt rise up at her words, but should she feel guilt? She was concerned about her daughter's well being, she was the mother! It was her right and responsibility to make sure Charlie wasn't put in dangerous situations. "How am I supposed to know…that you wouldn't just leave her sitting somewhere while you go flirt with the next hot thing you see?"

"I've changed, I am changing…I'm _trying_." He pat his chest with his palms, but words were not going to make her any less uncertain. "I know you don't trust me right now, I can understand that. I know I hurt you, I hurt Teddy too, and I'm _sorry. _I just want to be a part of Charlie's life. I know I probably don't have any right to even be there, but I _want_ to be. I love her too, I would do anything for her." Angelica breathed in and closed her eyes. It wasn't easy to say those words when speaking of a child. Sure, he'd said them in regards to every woman he'd ever been with, and now he said them in regards to his daughter.

"Maybe you do care. Maybe you do want to be around her. Say I let you be, say you're driving around one day with her in the car and you take her to a lake. You're starting to take her out of the back seat when you see a girl walk by in a sports bra and tight shorts…you're distracted for a moment and you go talk to this woman for a minute. Only _one minute_. When you return…Charlie's gone." The thought terrified her, and she could see the horror in his eyes. Teddy was wincing at the visual. "_That_ is what I'm afraid of, and don't tell me it wouldn't happen."

"Okay. You're right. It _could_ happen, but I'm doing my best to change from that. I'm not that guy anymore. With Charlie, I wouldn't dare to look at a woman and go off like that." She growled and spoke through clenched teeth, wanting him to answer to the scenario.

"What would happen if that were the case, _Spencer?"_ He froze, she understood a question like that was never something someone could answer on the spot, but she had to get it out of there. She was imagining the scenario as if it were real, as if it were actually happening, this heart pounding moment. Spencer took a slow breath and closed his eyes.

"I would find her. I would try to find her. If anyone took her, if she ran off, I would look. I'd drop everything and I would _look_ for her. I would call you, I would call Mom and Dad, I would call the police, the park authorities, anyone that could help me. _I would look for my daughter." _

"Yeah, because if you didn't look, you can bet you wouldn't be seeing her again after that…" She wasn't trying to be a cold hearted bitch to him, she didn't want to come across that way. She _wasn't_ a bitch, and she was truly worried about being one. She took a deep breath, calmed herself down as Harold put his hand to her shoulder. She rubbed her forehead and groaned as Teddy gave her a sad look. "Spencer look, I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound so…I don't know, I'm not like that."

"I know, you're just concerned. You have every right to be, because I wasn't the best person. I'm _not_ the best person to be a father, I make terrible mistakes and I've made bad decisions, but I'm willing to at least try." She saw the tears in his eyes and felt a pang of guilt for pushing him through all this stress and frustration. He cleared his throat and quickly wiped away the waterworks. "I'm not asking for visitation rights right now. As much as I would _love_ to be allowed time with her, in the end it's your decision. The Duncans decision. At the very least, I want to pay child support."

She lowered her arms and looked over as Teddy's phone started to go off. Teddy excused herself and walked away from the group. Angelica shook her head and pondered for just a moment her choice. "Okay look Spencer, we'll work our way up to that. You just…I just need to be able to _trust_ you, and right now I _don't_. I haven't seen exactly where you stand with her. I haven't seen you around her _myself_. Harold has, he said you were doing well with her at the movies, so we'll see if that trend continues…" Spencer began to smile, the hopeful look still in his eyes. "Right _now_, I still have to think. But I'm willing to discuss child support."

"You are?!" He started to get excited. She raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly.

"Yes. We'll discuss that at the least, especially because Helen in there said I should at least continue. Apparently a lot of the fathers that suddenly become interested in their kids follow through, so…we'll see what happens…"

"But you're still not willing to discuss visitation at this time?"

"Correct, Spencer. Give it some time, I still have to see what happens."

"I accept that. I promise you Angelica, I promise Charlie, I won't let you down!" She took a deep breath and started to say something, but was interrupted by Teddy. The girl ran over, tears in her eyes and voice frantic. She was saying they needed to get home, PJ called her up, something was wrong with their father.

At that, it didn't take long for everyone to pile into their cars and speed towards the Duncan home.

* * *

Okay folks, what did you think of Angelica's conversation with Spencer? Do you think she was being too harsh, or maybe just a little harsh but with justification? Your thoughts on the chapter?


	33. Tragedy Strikes

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 33 (Tragedy Strikes)

When they made it to the house, Teddy bolted from the car, screaming as PJ grabbed onto her and held her from rushing inside. Everyone was on the front lawn. An ambulance was at the curb and paramedics were wheeling a stretcher out from the building. Angelica put her hands over her lips when she saw a white sheet pulled over the head of a body. _"No…No no, no!"_ PJ held onto Teddy, who was screaming for her father. Skyler was standing beside them, her head bowed and tears drenching her cheeks.

Gabe was sitting beside a tree on the front lawn, holding himself and shaking ferociously while Jo sat beside him, holding him. His eyes were wide and fearful and his lips were moving silently. Teddy said Gabe had been the one to find Bob. Amy was weeping by the mailbox with Toby wailing in her arms. Charlie ran up to her, hugging her legs and weeping silent tears. Angelica reached down and picked her up, holding her close and staring at the stretcher with a frightened gaze.

Mrs. Dabney was on her front porch, staring with dismay at the ambulace. Chief Dooley was over as well with several officers. She moved over to the neighbor, hesitation and anxiety filled her voice as he looked up to her. "W-What happened?" Doug pointed over to Gabe with a heavy sigh and clenched his eyes. She was nauseous, but at the same time, this was like a dream for her. How could this be reality? How could Bob be _dead?_

"Gabe walked into his father's bedroom and found him on the bed with two or three empty bottles of prescription meds." It was a blunt answer, one that hit her like a ton of bricks. She couldn't understand it, how someone as happy as Bob had always been could take his life. Then again, she did know he couldn't bear the loss of his wife. This wasn't going to help Amy any, she already knew that. "I've requested that no one be inside and we let the paramedics work."

"Right…"Angelica held Charlie close and kissed the girl's forehead while grooming her hair back. "Momma's here, babe…" Charlie put her hands to Angelica's shoulders and leaned back slightly, looking into her eyes.

"Momma, is Bob…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she had to explain to her daughter that Bob was dead. She knew Charlie understood it already, but it didn't make explaining any easier. There was too much death in her life, her poor baby needed to be _safe_. "He's going away, isn't he…"

"I'm afraid so, baby…" She hugged Charlie close and let the girl cry onto her shoulder. Her heart was breaking as she watched the paramedics move Bob's body into the ambulance. This was a man she looked up to, a man that was like a father to her when her own father wasn't able to go. She gasped softly, breathing heavily and trying to remain strong while her daughter was there. It was hitting her hard that she'd just lost two fathers so closely together, and was about to lose a mother. Her body trembled and her eyes shut, her tears slid down her face and her head bowed. Maybe it was good to show tears, to tell her daughter it was okay to cry.

"Momma?"

"Yes darling?"

"You're sad too?"

"I loved Bob as though he were my own father, sweetheart." She opened her eyes and traced her fingers through Charlie's bangs. The girl's face was wet with tears as well. "I'm sad. I don't want him to be gone, as much as you, I'm sad. But Charlie, we'll make it through, you know that baby? We'll make it. We can be strong, though we cry…" Charlie slowly nodded her head and threw her arms around her mother's neck. "This is not the end of the world, okay?"

"Amy's dying too, Momma."

"I know baby, but we'll rise up, okay? We're all going to make it, we're going to be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes sweetheart. Momma's here for you. You can help me get through this and I'll help you. Deal?"

"Deal, Momma. Can I see Aunt Didi though? She might have some tasty comfort food." Angelica chuckled slightly and kissed the tip of Charlie's nose. She loved her little angel, but needed to have a talk with Didi about the spoiling. She may have to drop her off with Aunt Didi and Uncle Stu, but she didn't want to have to drop her off there every time something bad happened. That's what her mom had to do when she was Charlie's age, she didn't want to end up doing the same thing.

"Maybe." Though when she thought of safety, she had a very bad feeling that she was being watched. This was typical lately, and with Jonathan still out there, it wouldn't surprise her. She glanced towards the right and narrowed her eyes upon a car in the distance. There was someone inside that she couldn't recognize. When she looked over to Harold and Spencer, they took a glance at the car. Was there anything to worry about? Was it Jonathan? "Perhaps we should go to the park, Charlie. However, I would still like to be here for Amy…"

"We can go to the park later, Momma. I want stay here with Toby for a little while."

"Okay sweetie, we'll stay with them." She moved next to Amy and knelt down beside the woman. Amy sniffled, still unable to comprehend what had taken place. She met Amy's eyes and reached out to her, rubbing her shoulder. "Amy…"

"Don't start, Angelica." Amy choked out a sob and clenched her eyes shut. "I know you're going to try and comfort me, but there's nothing you can say to me to make this pain better." She breathed in slowly and bowed her head, nodding gently.

"I know. I was just going to say, I'm here for you." Amy smiled weakly. Toby stopped is sobbing and looked towards Charlie, babbling. Angelica raised an eyebrow as Charlie started talking to Toby. "Amazingly they can understand one another." She vaguely remembered being able to understand the babies when she was young. "Amy…Spencer might pay child support."

"You should let him."

"Really?"

"If he wants to, let him pay…"

"I guess I should. I'll think for sure about it…" Her eyes drifted towards the car in the distance. It was driving away now, much to her relief. She did not need to be spied upon, especially not with Charlie. She turned her gaze back to Amy and smiled at her. "Let's take this one step at a time."

Paul Walsh sat at his desk, tapping his fingers gently on the surface as he eyed the photo of his family that he was so proud of. Spencer had grown quite a bit, though he made some grave mistakes. Maybe he'd gone about raising him the wrong way? No, Spencer was trying now.

Being the Assistant District Attorney of Denver was a very high regard, he had quite an amount of money and sure, he was concerned about appearances. It might not look good that his son had a child born out of wedlock at such an early age, but he honestly didn't care. The people didn't _have_ to know what his son was up to. "Honestly…" He chuckled softly and leaned back in his black leather chair. "I'd be crazy to be mad at that boy, he is just like me after all." He spun his chair around and bent his forearm upwards, resting his index finger on his temple and his thumb on his chin. "How long till I'm the District Attorney, I wonder…I might never make that grade."

A sharp knock came at the door and Paul closed his eyes. He was trying something risky, something incredibly daring. He'd contacted Jonathan, albeit against his son's best wishes. He wanted to at least attempt to convince the man to turn himself in. If anything, he'd have him arrested on the spot. "Come in, Jonathan!" First thing, he was revoking Jonathan of his job title. Paul glanced at a round mirror in the corner of the room, smirking subtly as he awaited his assistant.

The door cracked open and Jonathan slowly walked in with his head held high and shoulders broadened. His lips were twisted into snarl and his deadly eyes glared at the leather chair. "You actually _called_ me, sir? Not even Charlotte Pickles would have made an attempt to contact me."

"She wasn't aware you were a hardened killer at the time." He turned back around and slowly rose from his chair. He leaned forward, pressing his fingertips on the top of his desk and staring Jonathan in the eyes. "Jonathan. My son preferred that I not associate with you. Now you know, I am the ADA of Denver."

"Yes, that's what the name triangle on your desk says. ADA Paul Walsh…" The sarcasm was like poison in his voice. Paul rolled his eyes and folded his arms over. "How many floors up are we again? Three? Four? Trees below."

"Five, and yes, there are a bunch of trees below. Why?"

"Just wondering. I'm guessing you've called me here to fire me?" He narrowed his eyes at Jonathan and lifted his shoulders.

"That's right. I no longer have need for your services. With that being said, I am going to ask that you turn yourself in to the police." Jonathan raised an eyebrow and began chuckling. Paul felt a cold chill rushing down his spine. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't place a finger on what the problem was. "What is so funny, Jonathan?" Jonathan grinned, ceasing his laughter. He reached into his own sports coat and whisked out a .38 caliber pistol. "Whoa!" Paul held his hands up, staring in shock at the gun. How did he slip it in?

"The security guards have nothing on me, Mr. Walsh. You're going to learn making the same mistake as Mrs. Pickles can be a deadly one. You're wrong, it is _I_ who no longer has need for _you_."

"Wait. Jonathan. Let's talk about this-"

"Funny. Mrs. Pickles said the same thing before I put a bullet in her."

With that, Jonathan squeezed the trigger. A loud blast echoed through the room and Paul flinched as he felt a deep burning below his right ribcage. "Shit!" He twisted his body around, falling into his chair and letting it spin back as another blast rang out. He flinched as the bullet flew through his chair and shot out just inches from his head and shattering the window in front of him. With that, he went limp, hoping Jonathan would think him dead.

Much to his pleasure, Jonathan charged for the window and leapt out of it. Perhaps realizing that security guards would be up anyway. Paul was able to see out the window, Jonathan managed to land in the trees below. Safely. He groaned weakly and glanced down at his hand over his wound, blood was gushing out like mad. What had he done? He should have listened to Spencer!

As his eyes began to roll into the back of his head and consciousness left him, he heard the door fly open. Several voices called out to him and many hands grabbed him out of the chair and onto the floor. Someone was pressing down on the wound. A groan left his lips, uttering Jonathan's name before the darkness came. "I feel…so cold… "

* * *

Your thoughts?


	34. Targeted in Time

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 34 (Targeted in Time)

Spencer rushed through the hospital doors, his heart was racing and his blood was boiling. When he received the news about his father, he was still at the Duncan home. His mother was still at the house, in a state of total shock, but rather than check on her he couldn't stop himself from washing for his father. He had his thoughts as to who shot him, but he didn't want to believe it. The man on the phone was one of his father's security guards, saying that his dad would be under strict surveillance at the hospital in case the assassin tried to get him again.

"Please be okay Dad, please be okay." Tears flew from his eyes as his legs burned from the running. He brushed past Nurse Karen, who screamed for him to stop running in the hospital. Sure, he might end up running over someone that was sick with the flu or whatever illness they had, but his father could be dying, or _dead!_ Right now, that man was the only thing he cared about. Angelica and Harold were on their way over as well with Charlie, they wanted to know if the man was going to be all right. It was a relief they cared enough, but at the same time, it was likely due to all this drama regarding Jonathan._ "If that asshole shot my father, I swear to god, I am going to _kill_ him!"_

He made his way to a hallway with several police officers walking around, two of whom were guarding a door. They saw him rushing and instinctively wanted to react, stopping only when they recognized him. He charged in through the door and froze, breathing heavily as his eyes fell upon his father's body in the bed. The heart monitor was chiming the beats of the man's heart, and his eyes were gazing up at the ceiling. Relief flooded Spencer's body as he rushed over to his father, but fear also gripped him when he thought of Mrs. Duncan's situation.

"Dad. Dad I'm here." Paul looked over at him as Spencer took his hand and smiled tearfully at his bedridden father. The man started to smile, something he couldn't fathom about his dad in the moment. "Dad what happened? Who did this to you?"

"I believe I made the mistake of trying to fire Jonathan. I'm sorry son, I know you told me not to do anything with that man."

"Oh god, Dad…" He knelt down and put his forehead to his father's hairy arm, letting his silent tears roll down his face. His anger was like a fire coursing through his blood, but he wasn't angry at his father, he was angry at Jonathan. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"I thought I could convince him to turn himself in, but he's a madman. He's hell-bent on revenge, you can see it in his eyes. That girl, Angelica? He wants her to lose everything…to destroy her. He might try to bait you because you're the father…" Spencer clenched his eyes shut and breathed in deep and slow, he knew Jonathan hated Angelica, and perhaps death was the only way to stop him. No, he couldn't resort to murder, not like that man. Dare that man to tempt him though, he would take him out if he didn't stop.

"Dad, they've got people all over this hospital, making sure no one gets to you." He lifted his head up and continued trying to calm himself down and breathe normally. "Where are you hit? Are you going to be okay?" Paul chuckled briskly and nodded his head.

"Yes." The man groaned a bit as he moved his arm to his right side. Spencer's eyes widened as he feared the bullet's path, but he was only slightly relieved when his father tapped closer to the bottom of his ribs. "Just below the ribs, the doctors removed the bullet. They said I'd be in recovery a little bit, but I'll be fine. It's hard to breathe, though."

At this point, either Jonathan was a terrible shot, or he wasn't actually aiming to kill. Was he baiting people? Granted his father fired the man, but if Jonathan really wanted to get Angelica where it hurt, to strike her where she did lose everything, then his father wouldn't be a target. Charlie was a target, and Spencer knew Jonathan would go after the girl's birth father as well.

His eyebrows rose and he slowly stood up, looking towards the door as Angelica and Harold entered. Linda was still at home, his mother, and Jonathan surely knew Paul was still alive. "Is he all right?" Harold asked.

"He's hurt, but he'll be all right. Dad's a strong man, it takes more than a bullet to stop him." And of course, it would take more than a bullet to stop Spencer from tearing Jonathan's head straight off his shoulders. _"How can I protect Charlie?"_ He moved his eyes towards the young girl standing in between her mom and father. She was eyeing her birth grandpa with sorrow, but relief. Charlie ran over and put her hands on the bed, asking Paul how he was doing. Paul smiled at the girl and closed his eyes, telling Charlie that he was doing just fine.

_"A madman wants to kill Charlie's mom and her family, but he would also want to hurt Charlie, being Angelica's daughter of course. Why target everyone else? Unless…he really does want to tear them apart inside. Torturing them before taking their lives too…I can't let that happen."_

Charlie is everything to Angelica and Harold, but everything to him as well, and Spencer was going to make sure Jonathan kept his grimy paws away from the girl. "Will you guys stay here with my dad? I have to check on mom." Harold looked over to him and gave him a brief nod as Angelica moved over behind Charlie. Charlie was crawling up beside her grandfather and curling up at his side. _"Thank god my dad is okay…but that Jonathan…he's got one foot in the grave already at this point. I am pissed…"_

When Spencer entered his house, he heard his mother scream for him to leave, but the door slammed shut behind him. He was startled and turned his eyes to the couch, his mom's hands and feet were tied together and she was lying down on her back. Tears were running down her face and her body was trembling. "Shit! Mom!" He ran over to her and started untying the ropes, not even thinking of how the door could have possibly slammed in the manner that it did.

"Why did you come home, Spencer?" He frowned as his mother gazed sorely into his eyes. What was happening here? Suddenly Jonathan's voice entered the room and he jumped upright, looking in every direction. There was a baby monitor on the end table beside the couch and Spencer slowly picked it up. On the top was a mini camera, likely what Jonathan was using to watch him.

"Welcome home Spencer," Jonathan chimed.

"Bastard, you did this…what the fuck do you want?"

"Simple. I want to kill Angelica, but first, I want her to lose everything she ever had. Starting of course, with her child's birth family. That little bitch ruined my life ever since she was a kid, and now, I'm going to ruin hers." His heart clenched and he flashed his teeth to the camera. Jonathan laughed mercilessly and shook his head. "You're not going to scare me with a little teeth gnashing."

"You're going to leave Angelica and Charlie alone, got that? You leave them alone, leave Harold alone, leave the Duncans alone, and leave the Pickles alone. I swear to god, if you lay a single finger on any of them, it will be the last mistake you ever make!"

"Bold words from someone that isn't trusted by the mother of your child." Spencer roared angrily and shouted into the receiver, not at all caring to control his anger.

You little fuck nugget, get in here and face me like a man!" Once more Jonathan laughed, chuckling for a good ten seconds before finishing. What was with this man? What was it that destroyed him?

"I think I'll stay in this car. For you see, that house is about to become a blast zone." He froze and quickly looked to his mother.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Here's the deal, Spencer. Now I'm a man of my word, a man of my integrity." He scoffed at Jonathan and narrowed his eyes. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he eyed the windows of his house. "Don't think I don't see the gears turning in your head. If you try to bust out through the windows, boom, I blow your house to bits."

"Fuck you. Where's the bomb?"

"I'm my 'former' office." Spencer told his mother to wait where she was, not that she could move with her ankles still bound. He ran for the door and tried to turn the knob, but when he realized the door was locked, he pounded on the door, cursing as sweat poured down his body. "You see, the little bitch drove me crazy. Her mother was not much better." Spencer rested his forearms on the door and slowly looked at the receiver, which was now on the floor. He growled, wanting to slaughter Jonathan on the spot for how he was talking. His chest heaved and his fists slid an inch on the door. "Underappreciated, that's what I was. When I was fired, I snapped. Why was I fired really? For giving that bitch a piece of my mind. I'd been pushed far enough. Maybe I shouldn't have raised my hand to her, but-"

"You did _what?"_

"Not done with my story Spencer. Have patience."

"There is a _bomb_ behind this door, and you're telling me to have fucking_ patience?_ You better fucking pray I don't find you! Because Harold and I, we'll-"

"Not finished. Stop your talking before I blow the bomb prematurely." Spencer paused, his hair and clothes now drenched in sweat. He took a deep breath and glared at the door, growling angrily.

"Fuck you…"

"Right. Now. I tried to destroy Angelica recently, as you well know, trapping her in that time bubble. I was going to kill her daughter, her father, everyone close to her, and of course she was going to be forced to watch. Since _someone_ got a hold of my book, they saved her. So now I'm forced to do this a bit differently…I'm going to get my revenge on that little snot-nosed bitch one way or another."

"So you shot Mrs. Duncan…"

"Well that's trivial."

"How the _fuck_ is that trivial?!"

"I wanted Charlie at that point, but she wasn't there. Amy was in the crossfire. It works though, because lo and behold, not only is Angelica close to the Duncan family, but they had been caring for the one thing in the world that means most to her. _Her daughter."_

"What's killing me, my mother, or my father going to prove?"

"Your father was subject to temporary rage over being fired, make no difference."

"I'm a lawyer's son, you think I don't know what _premeditated__murder_ means? You stole a security guard's gun before making your way to my dad's office!"

"Ah yes. I had two ways of going about this, your mother or your father. I'd get to you through one. Then I realized, wait, Assistant District Attorney, there's no _way_ your father's not going to have protection. So now it's your mother. I knew you'd come check on her. See, I want to kill _you_, Spencer. What will Angelica and Charlie think when the birth father and cash cow is dead?"

"Cash cow?"

"What? You think I missed the little conversation you people had over child support?" Panic and irritation were now sweeping him like a tidal wave. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"You know what it looks like, stalking the daughter and granddaughter of your former boss? Do you really want to go out like this, Jonathan? History will only rewrite you as a crazy person like they do with everyone that assassinates a high public figure. First a CEO, now an attempt on the life of an ADA? Insane right there."

"Think I don't know that already? I am a master of time, everything in history I understand. Now…speaking of time…" Spencer heard Jonathan click something and he quickly began pounding on the door, screaming as he slammed his knee into it several times. "Spencer. There's a touch pad I've hooked up right beside it…use that…" Spencer looked over and frowned at the number pad directly to the right of the doorknob.

"When I find you, asshole, you are _dead!" _

"No. I think that might be you. Maybe. Have you noticed the smell yet?"

"Smell? What smell?" He sniffed and waited, freezing as the stench of gasoline hit him. "Son of a bitch…" He looked down at the floor, finally catching a long trail of gasoline soaking the ground. It was running from inside the room and out into the living room. "You mother..."

"Inside that door is the source of the gasoline, which also has traces of gunpowder all throughout it. Now there is a stick of dynamite, just a stick, sitting in a tub of gasoline on my desk. I have planted a time device on it, set to go off in about two minutes. Naturally when it explodes, the gasoline's going to go up, and so is your house. Along with the house, you and your mother. I'm sure Angelica and Charlie will be devastated, even if Angelica doesn't like you."

"Bastard!"

"Keep it up Spencer, cursing me out doesn't faze me in any way. Now, here's the deal, we're going to play a game. You win, I give you the code to that touchpad that will unlock the door. You and your mother live…for now…you lose, boom goes the dynamite." He rolled his eyes and glared down at the device. "Before meeting your father, you have never seen me in your life. However, I have used a time device a while back and gone back to insert myself in a moment of your past. If you can remember that moment of time, you live."

"What? That's it?"

"It's harder than you think. One minute, thirty seconds."

"Shit!" He slammed his shoulder against the door and groaned as his back slid down the door. He ran his hands through his hair, groaning angrily as he sought to figure out where he could have seen Jonathan before. There was no other way to do this. Lowering his arms and tilting his head back against the door, he drew one last breath and clenched his eyes shut. "Any clues at all?"

"You were much younger, that's it."

"Damn it…" He couldn't think of anything at all, but he didn't want to try and bullshit at this. He heard Jonathan counting down and started slamming his wrist against his forehead. _"Think damn it, think!" _Then it hit him. He opened his eyes and stared straight across at the wall in front of him, astonished by the memory.

"Vacation at a beach…I was seven years old. You ran into my mother, causing her to drop a hot dog she had, so you gave her yours and smiled at me. I was standing beside her, watching the exchange…you said something. I think. 'See you in a few years'."

There was a long period of silence from Jonathan's end, this caused Spencer to begin panicking. He jumped up and started banging on the door, screaming about his memory. "Daman it kid, we're going to have to do this tango another time." Jonathan sighed heavily and recited the code. "seven-three-one-nine-nine-three."

"Okay." He punched the code in, ignoring the fact that it sounded like a date than anything. The doorknob clicked and he instantly pushed it open. On the desk was a small red container with a dynamite stick dipped into it. Thinking fast, he grabbed the stick and ran through the house, chucking it out of the kitchen window. The stick bounced into the pool in the back yard. When it exploded, water shot up like a geyser.

Linda came up behind him as he gazed with wide eyes, his chest heaving in and out. How close had he come to death just then? He was not certain. "Mom." He strained himself to speak through his breathless pants. "Do not come back to this house. Find someplace safe, Dad's under watch…" He flattened his palms on the kitchen counter and bowed his head, groaning as sweat dripped from his hair. He didn't even want to waste time trying to clean the gasoline up, on the off chance Jonathan had a backup plan.

What was he to tell Angelica? He didn't want to put more worry and stress on her and Charlie. He wanted to protect his daughter, he wanted to make sure they were safe. Perhaps, the best person to talk to would be Harold. That man cared about them more than life itself, and being her fiancé, Harold was most capable of keeping them safe.

* * *

Close call for Spencer. At least his parents are safe, but Jonathan's really testing the patience here


	35. Being a Mother

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 35 (Being a Mother)

It was a calm, quiet day at the park where Angelica and Charlie were waiting on Harold, he'd gone off to have lunch with Spencer somewhere. Spencer wanted to talk to the guy about something, but wouldn't tell Angelica what it was, if it was anything serious. She truly hoped there wasn't anything to hide, and surely Harold wouldn't hide anything from her. Granted if it was anything more that had to do with Jonathan, she didn't want to know because it would cause a lot more stress, but she would have to know.

She watched as Charlie played in a sandbox while wearing her little yellow dress with small daisy flowers decorating it from the spaghetti straps down to the bottom hem. There were two other kids in the sandbox, Charlie had torn down one of their sand castles and had now recruited them both to build a large castle. It reminded her of the days when she was four or five, always she had to be the Queen Bee. Her mom did a lot of parenting, though it never seemed that way with the woman's work, but she tried her best. How on earth could she be a mom? She was scared to death.

_"I don't know how to do this, Mom…"_ She wanted to be the best mother she could be, but she didn't want to do anything to mess up. _"All this drama's difficult, and it affects my baby. How am I supposed to keep her safe from it all?"_ She looked up into the sky, tears playing at her eyes for a second before she swept them away. She had to be strong, but she'd give anything to have her parents to help her along the way. Sure, she had Aunt Didi and Uncle Stu, but that was just a little bit different. Or, perhaps it wasn't. Even Betty, Phil's and Lil's mom, could help. The Finsters were always able to give advice. "None of them come close to my mom."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, dear." She screamed, hearing her mom's voice and quickly looked to the right of the bench. Her mother was somehow sitting beside her in a grey business suit and a book in her hand. Her hair was up in a ponytail and her eyes were peaceful. Angelica put her hand to her chest, breathing heavily as she gazed in disbelief at her mother's apparition. "Didi, Kira, Betty…they were all better mothers than I was. I mean, I tried, yes, but in no way was I perfect. They weren't perfect either, and they'll tell you the same."

"H-How are you-"

"You needed me, so here I am for a little bit of time." She saw her mother wave at someone in front of her, then turned to see Charlie staring with wide eyes. Could the girl see her too? "You know, they say children and animals can see spirits just fine. If I'm right, you and the kids did all the time during your little rugrat days." Charlotte lowered her hand to her legs and looked over to Angelica, smiling cheerfully. "I'm glad you think I was number one mommy though. I made mistakes, we all do. Me, Aunt Didi, Kira…Betty…none of us were perfect, but we sure tried, and we're blessed with the fact that every one of our children think we're the best mothers on the planet."

Angelica laughed for a second, then sighed. Her heart was beating erratically, and she almost thought she were going crazy. Though, if Charlie was seeing the woman, then it helped. "It's hard though."

"No one ever said it was. Being a mother's hard work, Angelica. You're lucky you have three mothers to help you raise Charlie. Even Teddy's going to be around. You're not _alone_ in this. You even have a man willing to be Charlie's father."

"Harold…"

"Yes. But what matters is what makes a mother, and you have it in you whether you think so or not. Every woman does." She started to smile and looked back to Charlie. Charlie had returned to the sand castle, but was occasionally glancing over at her grandmother. "Whether you're fourteen, seventeen, forty, no woman is ever completely ready to be a mother. At the same time, they can be more than ready."

"Being a mother…"

"Means making the best choice for your children. Thinking twice, for yourself and for them. Being a mother means you're going to be there to bandage their scrapes and guard them against enemies as scary as allergies and as big as strangers. It means you're going to make mistakes, you're going to screw up." Charlotte took a deep breath and moved her hand over Angelica's gazing warmly into her eyes. Angelica felt a bit of a spark run through her, followed by a happy sadness. "I spent a _lot more_ time working than I should have. Being a mother doesn't mean you have to give your kids a giant home and have a lot of money. It's _nice_, but what's really important is that…you're there for them. You love your child, you take care of her, you do the things that matter. One day, your child is going to think the world of you."

"Maybe…"

"One day you can hear your daughter say that, over all the mothers she knows, _you_ were the best and none of them can hold a candle to you." Her heart began to swell up and tears started to sting her eyes, but they weren't tears of sorrow, they were tears of joy. She would give anything to hear those words from Charlie. Charlotte smiled at her and tilted her head towards the right. "When I heard you say I was better than Betty, or Kira, or even _Didi_…it is one of the most wonderful things a mother can feel. Being a mom isn't a competition, but if your kid really thinks that, then yeah, it can give you a bit of a competitive feeling."

"I guess so. Charlie is…she's everything to me. I don't want anything bad to happen to her. With all this stuff going on with Jonathan…I'm scared for her and I want to protect her."

"I know, and that's the best thing you can do. I realize you're scared, I realize you're afraid, and that's normal. You're doing the best you can, sometimes that's all you can do _is_ to do the best you can. I know you're worried about other things, like what Spencer is talking to Harold about, but don't pressure that. When Harold comes back, he's probably going to suggest doing something for Charlie's safety, just trust your instinct when it comes to everything."

"Do you think…I'm doing right by letting Spencer pay child support?" Charlotte clicked her tongue and started to hum, leaning back on the bench and closing her eyes. Angelica was still far too nervous about this, and it was hard to keep from breaking down with her _mom_ sitting there. Her heart was palpitating and her chest ached. _"I really just…want to hug her, cry and say I missed her."_

"I don't know Angelica, what do your instincts say about him?" She bowed her head and drew her eyebrows together. She felt that he was being genuine and sincere, but it was still hard to trust him.

"I still need to see some things for myself before I can allow him any visitation rights, but he seems to be sincere about the child support. What…what would you have done, Mom?"

"What would I have done?" Her mom chuckled for a second and lifted her shoulders. "I was a CEO, I had plenty of money and wouldn't _need_ child support to raise you. If I were in your shoes, just starting out with very little money, I would probably take the child support. Lord knows it can help with rent. However that is only my opinion, which is all _anyone_ can offer in the way of advice."

"I know…I have to trust my instincts, I guess."

"It's not just trusting your instincts, but having a bit of faith too. It's about pushing down your pride as a person and thinking in regards to what is best for your daughter. You're not going to get a crash course on being a mom, Angelica. However you do have help, you just have to ask for it. Also, I know you've been afraid of leaving Charlie with Didi and Stu all the time at the risk of making the same mistakes _I_ made with you…but they are there to help. There is a line that can be drawn. When it comes to the drama that's going on, it can be best to keep Charlie away from it all. Let her see them if she wants to, let her see them when you feel it is necessary or best. At your age, where you are right now, you have school to deal with and then you'll have college. You're _going_ to need babysitters, and they're the best people for you. The fact that you _know_ I've made mistakes by using them too often and not being around enough when you were a little girl means that you won't make the same mistake."

"But that's just it…Charlie's three and I-"

"You were there for her." True, she did go see Charlie and wanted to be a part of her life. It was the happiest moment, and now every moment she was with Charlie, there was nothing that could surpass the bliss she felt in watching over her daughter. "See the very first decision you ever made shows that you have what it takes to be a mom." She raised an eyebrow and Charlotte's lips tucked up into an all-knowing smirk. "The first choice you made when Charlie was born was a choice in what was better for your daughter. You gave her to the Duncan family, _knowing_ you weren't going to be able to take care of her and give her the life she needs. Now, you can give that to her. Amy's made that same choice for her, she saw you could do it, and I know you can do it. The trick is, you yourself need to have faith that you can do the best you can. You'll make mistakes, but don't ever judge yourself for the mistakes you make, judge yourself by the measure of how your daughter looks at you every day. _That_ is the true judgment of a mother, the measure of love their child has for them"

Confidence swirled inside of her like a whirlpool, and for some reason, she had no fear looking into her mother's eyes. She could do this, she _knew_ she could do this. "Now Angelica, I have to go. Before I do, I would like to see my granddaughter. Remember though, I'm always going to be there for you." Angelica smiled as her mom leaned over and hugged her close. She gasped out and finally let a tear fall from her eyes. "I love you baby. I may be gone, your father and I, but we're always watching over you. No matter what happens, we're always going to be there. You are everything to us, always have been, always will be."

"I love you mom…" She choked up and clenched her eyes, trying to hold back from weeping. Her heart was breaking, she wanted her mom to stay longer. "I always have."

"I know baby." She felt a tiny hand upon her knee and looked over with a smile as her daughter started climbing up into her lap. Charlotte leaned back as Charlie looked up at her, curiously asking if she was a ghost. Charlotte laughed heartily and shook her head. "Ghost? No. I'm an angel, sweetheart."

"Like mommy?" Charlie asked. Angelica's heart skipped a beat and her body began to warm. Her daughter really thought she was an angel? Charlotte smiled and reached over, rubbing the top of Charlie's head.

"Not exactly. I came because your mom needed me."

"A guardian angel?"

"Maybe you could look at it that way. I'll always be in your hearts, both of you, watching over you."

"Really?" Angelica looked up at the sunset sky and started to smile, then peered down to Charlie.

"Charlie." The young girl looked up at her with eyes full of wonder, awe, and love. She breathed in and tried not to cry in that moment. Her baby's gaze was perhaps the most endearing thing she'd ever know. Her mom was right, the amount of love in Charlie's eyes was the measure of a good mother. "You know the stars in the skies?"

"Yes…they always come out at night, right?"

"Well, that's when they're seen. You _know_ they're there." Charlotte leaned back in the bench and folded her hands over in her lap, smiling as the little girl looked up into the sky. The sun was going down to the point that some stars were visible, one in particular seemed to be shining brighter than the others. "They're there throughout the day, but something I remember my momma and grandma telling me…you can think of them as the angels in the skies, like your grandma."

"Oh?"

"Watching over us, making sure we're safe. The guiding star that will always lead you home." Charlie looked over to her grandmother and pointed to the stars beginning to appear.

"You live up there now, Grandma?"

"And so does your grandfather and adoptive father," Charlotte replied happily. "We'll always be there to look over you and your mother." The woman leaned forward and gently kissed the top of Charlie's head. Her voice softened and her eyes filled with love. "Now I have to go back home, but whenever you look up there at nights and think of me, a star will outshine the others. Then you'll know I'm watching over you. Your mom's going to need all the help she can get, but I have faith in her."

"So do I! Momma's amazing."

"She is. I know you'll be in good hands. If her pride gets in the way, I think Didi will be there to remind her that she doesn't have to do everything alone." Charlie giggled and brightened as her grandmother hugged her tight. Angelica saw a tear drop from her mom's eyes. As the woman leaned back, she looked to Angelica with a full grin. "And I'm proud of you, dear. You know, you won't have to be afraid." Charlotte pointed towards Charlie. "That right there? The love, the admiration, the trust and faith she has knowing you can keep her safe and do the best you can to love her…"

"Y-Yeah mom?" She choked on a light sob as her mom began to disappear. When she was gone, silence filled the air, but her mother's voice was the last thing to go. Her last words would latch onto Angelica's heart as something she would never forget. She hugged her daughter close and smiled as Charlie looked up at her with the same wondrous gaze. Her heart once more skipped a beat as her mom's words replayed in her mind.

"That is what being a mom is all about."

* * *

How do you feel about the advice given? A conversation much needed, even if it was with a spirit. Thoughts?


	36. Discussing the Future

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 36 (Discussing the Future)

"We'd be more than happy helping you girls out," Didi chimed at the table. Angelica and Teddy were sitting in one of the corner booths at the Java Lava with Didi, Betty, Kira, and even Mrs. Carmichael. Angelica was being reassured that she wasn't truly alone in all this. Susie and Ivy were sitting with them as well. Across the way, Harold was sitting with the women's husbands, possibly getting some much needed advice from them.

Charlie was at another table with Tommy, Phil, Lil, Chuckie, and Dil. And at _another_ table, Gabe and PJ were chatting with their girlfriends, possibly figuring out what would become of Gabe when Amy passed on. Everyone knew what would be happening with Teddy and Angelica, they were going towards a big time college elsewhere. PJ was in college and could take care of himself, but a fourteen year old teenager couldn't live on his own. PJ would likely have to take care of him. Everybody had their worries, the future was not a very certain one.

She smiled as Kira reached over to pat her hand, "We're all here for you. Your mother was a great woman, sure she was busy most days, but she did what she could. We know you're fixing to go off to college and taking on the responsibility of being a mom all at once, but you're going to be able to do it." Angelica had been accepted into almost every school she applied to, as did Teddy and Harold. What she was getting advice on was where to go, because she knew she'd be taking Charlie with her. "You can go to whatever college you want to go to, we'll all help and support you."

"The thing is, I really want to go to Harvard, but...it's in Michigan." Berkley was another she'd applied to, but it was in California and with a selective admissions program. She leaned forward and rubbed her temples. Both Teddy and Harold had been accepted into Harvard University as well, and Harold applied so he could be with Angelica. It was fine, though he wanted to be a personal trainer. He would likely be a fitness instructor at a college and work as a personal trainer elsewhere, at least that's what he always said. She was for it, and he could get into any college he wanted at this point.

"So go," Betty marveled. "Nothing's stopping you, it's the best school in the country." She bit her lip and looked to Teddy. Teddy shrugged her shoulders and dipped her eyes towards the table. For her, it didn't much matter. She wanted to be around for Charlie, but her main concern was Toby. Teddy wanted to go to Harvard because of the same reason Angelica did, it had the top rated political science programs in the country. "So if I'm getting this right, Teddy wants to be a Governor of a state and you're hoping for congresswoman?"

"I might never make it to be a governor," Teddy chuckled, "I'll settle for whatever I can get in the political path. That's what makes us best friends, we both got the same interests." Angelica nodded briskly and leaned back in her chair, sighing as her eyes drifted towards Charlie. She hated thinking that Charlie would be states away from family, though.

"I just don't want her to be so far away from everyone." The women looked to her and Lucy Carmichael was the first to respond, quick on the dial.

"She's not the one in college. Your baby girl can visit family as many times as you see fit. Didi and Stu are more than willing to be there as the girl's unofficial 'grandparents'. Not to mention, you've got us all here opening our arms to you." Her heart lifted up and her lips curved into a smile, she was confident things would be okay. She was frightened as hell, but at the very least, she had to know things would be just fine. "I know it's a scary world out there, and at least college is just a few short years. You're free to do anything you desire, we're going to support you, Angelica."

"It's true!" Didi remarked. "We love you very much, sweetie." The woman adjusted her red hair and sighed, smiling into Angelica's anxious eyes. She turned her gaze to Teddy and gave her the same pleasant look. "We consider you a part of the family too, Teddy. So just like Angelica and Charlie, you'll have help with Toby too." Angelica lifted her coffee cup to her lips and breathed in the fumes before sipping on the hot liquid. "No one knows what the future holds, girls. The best thing you can do is trust your instincts and do what your heart says is right." Angelica opened one eye and lowered the cup, remembering the words her mother spoke to her. What did her heart tell her?

The best thing she could do is secure a solid career, Harvard looks fantastic on resumes. The women were right, she and Charlie could visit whenever they liked. It wasn't as though she would never see family again if she went to Harvard. Her dream wasn't just to have a big time career, but yet, she wanted to provide Charlie with the best life possible. Harvard could help, it was a stepping stone.

"I think…it's October, I turn eighteen on the first of January…college doesn't start until fall of next year-"

"And you have the opportunity to graduate from high school now," Kira lamented. It was true, several seniors that were smart enough were given the chance to finish a semester earlier. On the last day of school before the Christmas holidays, Angelica was going to take a test, that if she passed, she could be one of those seniors that got to graduate _early_. "So you've taken your SAT, got a full scholarship to _any_ college in the country, and a full semester break before Summer break."

"That's a lot of time to think."

"Yes. You don't have to make your decision _now_. When the time comes to make that final decision, we know you'll be ready. Remember, we'll all support you."

"Thank you Mrs. Finster." Kira laughed and Lucy shook her head.

"Please, you're a mother now," Lucy remarked with a smile and a simple eye roll, "You're a woman. You don't need to call us Mrs. _Anything_. I'm Lucy, that's Kira, Betty…" She pointed out each woman, then paused landing on Didi. Her eyes squinted for a second and smirked. "She's still Aunt Didi to you, though." Angelica laughed heartily as Didi swiftly nodded. The other women murmured their agreements.

For the first time though, she did feel like a part of the group. Mothers, women, it was all right. When she was a kid, she never pictured herself doing what they all did, sitting around the table and sharing stories as if it were one of those debutante balls. Yet, here she was, and she _loved_ it!

"So this is what it feels like," Harold muttered at his table. He was surrounded by Stu Pickles, Chas Finster, Howard DeVille, and Randy Carmichael. "I'm at the dad table." The men laughed and pat his back. He took pride in it, knowing he was to be a father, even though he was not Charlie's father. "The one thing I know for certain in my future is I guess I belong at the dad table."

"You _do_," Stu cheered, "Maybe you're not as dopey as some of us, but we have all the fun. Just a secret." Stu winked at him and Harold chuckled, he could picture himself playing cards with the men. All he wanted to do was to be a good father and a good husband. He loved Angelica and Charlie with all his heart and would do anything to protect them. He'd grown immensely concerned when Spencer had told him what Jonathan had done, and now was trying to figure how to protect the girls.

"What am I supposed to do though? If I'm to be a father, a husband, I should know how to protect them…" The men frowned, understanding his plight. He'd already explained to them what Spencer said about Jonathan. One thing was certain, no way in hell was he letting Angelica hire an assistant. "How can I protect them against someone so unpredictable…a madman willing to go through the lengths that he's gone? How do I keep him from making Charlie lose her mother, her family? How do I protect those two?"

"You do the best you can," Randy pat his shoulder and the other men nodded. "You're a father, not superman. Though being a dad can sometimes mean you can put Superman to shame." Harold folded his hands over each other on the table and stared down at them, pondering Randy's words. "You know the thing Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Thor, all the superheroes have in common with one another? Yet, the thing they have in difference with a dad?"

"What's that?"

"_They're_ not real," Howard said clearly. "A dad _is_." Harold lifted his head and smiled slightly as his heart began to swell with confidence. He turned his gaze to Charlie with her cousins, she was laughing and bouncing between Tommy and Dil. His gaze softened as he heard Chas's voice drift into his ears.

"I've had a lot of allergies in my life. I've been a klutz, I've been a coward and usually I wouldn't know how to take care of some of the simplest things. Harold, Howard can say the same." Howard laughed and Randy smirked. "In fact most of us at this table can say this: We're not perfect, but we all have something that a superhero doesn't." Harold slowly looked over as the men leaned back and crossed their arms, smirking with confidence. "Children that look to us with the trust and confidence that we will always be there for us, faith and love that make us far superior to those superheroes in all those comic books. We have wives that adore us, granted most of the times they do better than we do, but they still turn to us if they themselves can't solve something. Why? Because we're a team. _A family."_

"Just do what's best in your heart," Stu added, "As the mother does, the father trusts his own instincts. Talk to Angelica about what's right, do what you feel is best for those that you love. You don't have to be some shining superman in order to take care of them. You could be a goof-"

"Hell you could be allergic to anything and everything," Chas joked. Howard laughed and rubbed the back of his head, adding his own commentary.

"Or you could simply be a klutz that trips over everything there is and runs into stuff on the walls."

"But it won't matter," Randy reminded them, "None of it matters. In the end of the day, you're a father, a _dad._ A_ husband_, and you're confident in that title. As confident as your wife and child. There is no task too great when it comes to that. I can understand fear of the unknown, uncertain of the dangers that are coming to your family, but right now there are no dangers that you don't know about."

Stu hummed and pat his hand on the table, "He's right. You know Jonathan, you know what he's capable of. It's frightening for all of us that he's lurking about, but there are ways to protect yourself. For one, if you can get away from his prying eyes, that would be good."

"Spencer stated Jonathan was stalking them," Harold announced. "He said Jonathan was trying to get them where it hurts. He wants…" He choked on his words and clenched his fists as the men all sympathized with his concerns. "He wants to make Angelica lose everything. How am I supposed to defend them against that?"

"So hide them," Chas answered. He raised an eyebrow and watched as Chas slipped out from his seat and walked towards the door to the back room. What was he suggesting? Harold moved over with the men and gazed in as Chas opened the door and pointed towards a back door. "Years ago, Kira and I put a tunnel through our basement. The tunnel has a door that's been locked tight with a pass code that only we know. In the case of danger, we can escape through the tunnel and pop out home at our basement at home. No one knows it exists."

"Interesting…" Harold looked over to Angelica, she and the women were looking over to them. Kira looked to be explaining what Chas was, the couple apparently was on the same wavelength. As he turned his gaze to Charlie, his heart skipped a beat. He could protect her, he could protect his family. "But what if they have to leave the house…you know Angelica has several tests coming up."

"Right, but you see, Jonathan doesn't know where we live. We moved since he got arrested for Charlotte's murder. Not to mention, the same is the case with Howard and Betty, since they work here too." He was astonished by this news and turned quickly towards Howard.

"You guys have a tunnel too?"

"Yes," Howard replied. "Not to mention Stu's made some sort of small vehicle that helps us get to and from our basements and this place."

"So…You and Chas are saying that you'd welcome Angelica and Charlie into your homes?"

"At least for a while, yes. It is something to consider. Also, we would be more than happy to drive them wherever they need to go. Our cars have dark windows, so it's a safe bet." Right now, this was the best thing he could think to do for them. He closed his eyes and slowly breathed in. He wanted to talk to Angelica about this first, but for the most part, he was very certain that this would be the best thing to do.

"Let me talk to Angelica first…"

"Right, that's the way it should be. Always talk to the woman. See, you've already got the first rule of being a husband and dad down!" The men laughed and Harold began to smile, confident in his role for the future.

* * *

Thoughts?


	37. Funeral

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 37 (Funeral)

The feared day had arrived, Amy Duncan passed away in the same spot she'd been resting in ever since she'd been shot. October 18th, 2012. Funeral services were being held on the 21st, after church. Charlie saw her many times in the passing days, albeit the apparent danger. Her mom and dad had them traveling in underground tunnels from the Finster's and the Deville's homes where they'd been staying. Nothing had been seen or heard regarding the bad man, she was beginning to think that Jonathan had moved on.

The weeks had gone by slowly, but she had lots of fun with everyone and was beginning to feel like family. She sat between Angelica and Harold, eyeing the casket up front, it was the second funeral in a month she'd been to, and she didn't like it. She was oddly okay with it though, having been prepared for Amy to pass.

In the same pew, Teddy sat beside Angelica on the right and was holding on to Toby. He was happy to not be clutched by his mom, but at the same time, depressed that she was gone. Charlie had done her best to help him cope and be prepared, but she was no miracle worker. Time was the only healer of losing a mother. PJ and Gabe were sitting beside Teddy. It had been determined that PJ would take care of the house until Teddy and Angelica went to college. In which case he'd have to rent a small apartment and deal with Gabe.

"I can't believe she's gone," Toby murmured. Angelica let her eyes drift over to him, he was gazing somberly at the casket. His sad eyes unbelieving and skeptical. "I know I complained a lot, being cradled about like some sort of security blanket, as you call it…but…she was my mom." He was now officially adopted by Teddy, who recently began working full time at the same supermarket that Alice Wartheimer was a manager of. Angelica had officially readopted and taken custody of Charlie. There were still some forms left to deal with apparently, but for the most part, everything was finished. "What am I supposed to do, Charlie? I guess we're still related in a way, I mean…I don't know, I'm very confused."

"I know," She whispered in return. She was confused as well, but at the same time, she understood the situation. "Things are going to work out for us, Toby."

"It's easy to say, but not easy to believe. I guess I want things to be the way they used to be. It's not worth it though, changing the past." She chuckled slightly and agreed, there was no sense in worrying about the past when the future was coming. "I don't know if I can do it, what you do, trusting. Having faith things will work and just trusting whatever comes your way."

"Me? No, I'm more scared than anyone. I trust Mom and Dad to take care of me, but I'm still scared." She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her birth father three pews back. Things had become a tiny bit more pleasant with him, Angelica still didn't trust him enough with visitation rights, but they'd already signed all the papers for child support at least. "The way I see it Toby, I got two moms and two dads. Although Teddy's more an aunt for me, I guess, she and Momma are going to be roommates on college."

"How's that going to work? I mean, what was it you were saying…babies in a dorm thing?"

"_Room_, Toby, dorm _room_. Apparently, from what I understand Momma saying, there are campus apartments large enough for the four of us. Because Daddy and Momma aren't married yet, they can't share an apartment for some reason."

"Charlie, you realize that I still don't understand _everything_ you say, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Just wanted you to know, you use big words. Most of the time…I just carry on as if I understand you." Well, this was still good as far as she was concerned. Quite simply, she still enjoyed the conversations, and perhaps being the only girl her age to teach a small several months old baby some big words.

"Good, because I want your first word to be 'Charlie'."

"Hah! That'll be the day!"

"We will see, young 'padawan', we will see."

"What?"

"Nothing." She went to see Harold's relatives recently, Spencer came over after asking Harold and Angelica, and brought a Star Wars movie. It wasn't anything worth educating Toby on. "Hey Toby, I think one day you should fly a rocket into the skies." He raised an eyebrow and tore his gaze from the casket to stare at her.

"Uh…why?"

"Because, you can say hi to Amy." He hummed as she leaned back and grinned brightly. "Momma said that the stars in the sky are like the people who love us looking down and watching over us. Amy's bound to be up there, watching us." Toby started to smile and gazed upwards. Charlie felt a warm feeling sweeping over her, it was nice to be able to help Toby calm down and relax. He was going to need a lot of relaxation, she knew. "Now let's be quiet before the grownups start looking at us like we're crazy."

"Yeah. I agree."

Charlie looked around the small area, still with a heavy heart. It didn't seem fair that she had to lose both her adoptive parents, but that was the way the world worked it seemed. The evil people out there always had to ruin things for the good people.

It still concerned her that she'd not heard about Jonathan in quite some time, she couldn't help but think he may be nearby and hiding somewhere. She couldn't shake the feeling, but tried not to think of it too much because they were at a funeral. She wasn't too interested in what the preacher was saying, but she didn't want to interrupt with her own fears that the man could be nearby.

Everyone here was dressed in black, so it was hard to make heads or tails from anyone. In the back of the room was a man in a black tuxedo and a top hat. His head was bowed and his chin had some blonde stubble to it. She couldn't see him too well, but at the very least, she didn't recognize him. Perhaps, it was simple paranoia. She turned around and looked up to her parents, smiling as she slid comfortably back into her seat. They had their arms around her shoulders, it all felt very protective to her.

The service was moved to the cemetery where everyone stood in a shaded area as the casket hovered over an empty hole beside a freshly buried hole. It was good, at least, that Amy and Bob had passed so close together. That way, they didn't have to be separated for long. She found ironic their gravesite. The cemetery was across the street from one of the tallest buildings in the city.

_MegaCorp._ The building where her grandmother had worked all her life. Angelica pointed it out to her the last time they visited the cemetery. She thought it was funny that it overlooked the graves of Bob and Amy, as if watching over them. "They'll rest easy here." Her grandmother and grandfather weren't buried far from this area either. It was practically sacred ground. The devil himself would choke if he walked around here.

Jonathan hurt too many.

She slowly made her way over to Spencer, everyone was chatting about Amy's life and remembering her fondly. This was good, no one should cry over her, Amy wouldn't have wanted that. Instead, she was being celebrated the way she always said she wanted to be.

"Spencer?" He looked down at her with a subtle smile and bent down to one knee. "Why did you come to the funeral?" She didn't want it to sound hurtful, and was upset that it was, but Spencer still maintained a smile. It was nice that he never asked her to call him 'dad', he wasn't anywhere near that point just yet. She could feel Angelica and Harold watching her from a safe distance, that was fine, she understood their protectiveness.

"Because, I knew Mr. and Mrs. Duncan. Whether or not I've made my mistakes in life, and I know I've hurt them in the same ways I've hurt your mom and Teddy, I _did_ care for them. I respected them. I respect your mother and I respect Teddy, and so, I came."

"Well thank you. I think A-mom would be happy that you came, and I think Momma's okay with it." He smiled at her and slowly nodded his head, looking up only when the preacher began to speak. Everyone turned towards the man and watched in silence as the casket began to lower.

She looked among the people here but didn't see the strange man anywhere. The man played in her mind, she thought she recalled a sinister smirk upon his face. Towards the end of the service the man had his fingertips pressed together in front of his face, he was wearing two black gloves, which was strange enough.

Charlie looked towards the gates of the cemetery, where straight across the street was the big MegaCorp building. She took a deep breath and started to turn, stopping only when she heard something rustling near the gates. When she turned back around, she saw a small rabbit jumping from the bushes. Her heart lifted up and she began to forget where she was.

"Bunny…" She knew better than to go after it, but it was tempting. The rabbit was gazing at her, and it wasn't too far away. It was a cute little snowball rabbit and its twitching nose was simply beckoning her to move towards it. In the back of her mind, she could hear someone telling her not to go towards it. Danger ahead.'

What would it hurt to pet the little thing? She slowly moved towards the rabbit, smiling as it perked its ears up and stretched forward. As she reached her hand out, the rabbit sniffed it. She began patting its head, listening as her mother's voice beckoned her to return to the group. She turned back and smiled at everybody.

Then they froze, everyone shocked and frightened. What was going on? She turned her head back in time to see the strange man jump from the bushes, his top hat gone.

_Jonathan!_

Her mouth opened as the man grabbed her up and darted for the building across the street. "Charlie!" Angelica cried. "My baby!" She looked over Jonathan's shoulder to see Spencer and Harold start running after him, but Harold had to stop and console Angelica, who was now at her knees.

"Set her down!" Spencer exclaimed angrily, charging across the street. "Get back here!"

* * *

On the day of Amy's funeral, it's a sad day, but even worse, Jonathan now has Charlie. Spencer, so full of anger, is in pursuit. Get him Spencer, get him!


	38. Fall From Grace

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 38 (Fall from Grace)

Adrenaline fueled him as he ran through the doors of the MegaCorp building. He kept the man in sight, bystanders flocked out of the way. Spencer couldn't understand why nobody would actually stop and help! "I told you Spencer, I always get what I want!" Jonathan screamed out. Spencer cussed under his breath as Jonathan entered a door leading to the stairs. Where was he going with Charlie?

His eyes widened as he feared the worst. _The Roof!_ There were fifty floors to this building, five less than the tallest building in Denver. If Jonathan insisted on running up all of them, then he was going to have to run up them too. "I won't let you hurt her!" He heard Charlie calling out for him as he bolted up the first set of stairs. He could see Charlie attempting to kick Jonathan and remove herself from his hold. "Charlie hang on! I'm coming!" He nearly tripped going up the second flight of stairs, then scrambled up the third.

Making it to the fourth floor, he stopped at the bottom of a set of stairs to see Jonathan glaring at him from the top. "What do you think you're doing, Spencer?" Jonathan taunted. Spencer narrowed his eyes as Charlie gazed fearfully in his direction. "You honestly think this girl's mother will give a fuck about you if you try and save her daughter?" His heart strained at the taunt and his teeth clenched tight. He wasn't concerned with winning Angelica's approval.

"I only want to get my daughter away from you. I already told you to stay away from her!" Jonathan laughed and started up the next set of stairs, Spencer roared and charged after. Chances were likely the police were going to enter the building soon enough. Whether or not Jonathan succeeded in his plan, he was screwed. Spencer's main concern now was making sure Jonathan _didn't_ succeed. "Get back here and face me like a man!"

"The hell you know what being a man takes, you're just in it for the pussy." A chill ran down his spine and anger rushed through him. His eyes burned into the back of Jonathan's blonde curls. The hate he felt for this man was powerful, but he had to put that aside and find a way to protect Charlie. Hopefully Harold was doing his best to console Angelica. It would take everything for him not to come running.

"Not around my daughter!"

"Who cares? She's as dead as her mother's going to be when I'm done with them!"

"You'd have to deal with Harold, and that's only if you manage to kill me first!" He heard Jonathan scoff. Charlie screamed again and Spencer's rage flourished once more. "Damn it Jonathan, put her down!" He gripped the steel railing, panting and breathing heavily. As he gazed up, he saw Jonathan's head poking over one of the railings, smirking dangerously at him.

"I don't think you want me to do that."

"What _is _your problem!" He knew Jonathan was angry towards whatever it was Charlotte had done to him in the past, but what was driving him to try and go after Angelica and Charlie? "Why are you so damn persistent!"

"I have my reasons."

"They never did anything to you! Charlie did _nothing_ to you, asshole!" His heart was racing and his shirt was drenched in sweat. His legs were burning with each step he ran, but he had to keep pushing. He couldn't give up, not for a moment. If he even dared to pause, then Jonathan would keep moving. However, he knew one thing was going for him. _He_ was the football star, Jonathan was just a crotchety old man. Growling, Spencer tore off the sweat drenched shirt and continued running, pushing himself harder than he'd pushed himself in his life.

He knew he was getting closer to Jonathan, for as they ran they shouted at each other, and Jonathan sounded closer each time. He heard the man wheezing, he was definitely growing tired. The only thing adding distance was Spencer tripping over a few steps every now and then, stumbling as his rage-fueled adrenaline pumped through his body. He was beginning to wheeze himself, still pissed with Jonathan.

"My father didn't do anything to you either, yet you _still_ shot him. You tried to kill my mother. You're responsible for Amy's death and you still show at the funeral." He breathed in sharply, shouting out each word between breaths. This was the most he'd ever climbed, the most he'd ever run, and it was beating him. His vision was beginning to blur and his lungs had expanded as far as they were going to. "You killed Angelica's mother. Haven't you done _enough?"_ He grabbed the end of one railing and turned to see Jonathan glaring from the top of one set of steps, growling angrily as Charlie struggled in his grasp. The man was breathing heavily and sweating from head to toe.

"You think I would be satisfied only killing Mrs. Pickles? No. Not until they've _all_ paid. Not until they've all felt the pain of losing everything as I have!" Spencer raised his eyebrow as Jonathan's eyes narrowed sharply. His hand tightened on the railing as he turned his eyes to Charlie's frightened gaze.

"So you'd hurt an innocent girl because her grandmother fired you?"

"The bitch overworked me! I had a family, I had a son that I loved. He was born in '93, you know." Spencer froze, recalling the code given when he had to unlock his door to retrieve the dynamite stick. Jonathan had a _son?_ "It led to fights and my wife finally left me, moved away and took our son. She kept him away from me, I've not seen my own family since '99. All I had was my _job_, but that little twit had to go and make every day of my life _miserable!_ Then I snapped, but I was in the right! I was sick of being bossed around by the little bitch!"

"Quit cursing in front of her!"

"Oh shut up! You think you're so fucking pious that you can lecture _me?!"_

"Hey! I'm trying, damn it! You could have at least moved on!"

"The hell you know! When that cold-hearted bitch fired me, I truly lost everything! Then her daughter signals me for the woman's murder? No, it doesn't work like that. That bitch has been ruining my life all this time, and now I'm going to ruin hers by destroying everything she holds dear! Starting with her daughter!"

"Stop talking about my momma like that!" Charlie screamed. Instantly Spencer's heart was struck with fear as Charlie bit down on Jonathan's hand and kicked him in the crotch. Jonathan cursed and dropped Charlie, but rather than run towards or behind Spencer, she ran _upstairs_.

"Charlie, no!"

"Get _back_ here you little brat!" Jonathan screamed, instantly running after her.

_"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" _His body was still burning, more than before. There were only about ten flights left to the roof, he would have to push himself. Instead of telling Charlie to come back, he knew that would be far too dangerous. "Charlie! Just keep running! When you get to the roof, hide!" On second thought, he likely should have told her to run into the nearest door she saw, but his mind was in a haze right now.

Sweat poured through his eyes and down his face, his hair was in the way of his vision, and his body was aching. _"God this fucking hurts. Can't stop now…even if it kills me, I have to get to Charlie."_ He swallowed hard and bolted up, not bothering to think of how many steps he was climbing. The top ones were the hardest, but fortunately for him, he could hear Jonathan practically falling down the stairs himself. Charlie was hopefully far ahead of them. "Jonathan! I warned you already what would happen if you laid a finger on Charlie!"

"Call me an asshole if you will, Spencer. I do what I want." The man's voice was weak, strained. Spencer _still_ had more strength and power in his tone and body. This was at least going for him. "You better pray I don't find that little bitch first!"

"Keep it up Jonathan, it only makes me want to get you more!" It was very true, the more Jonathan flapped his gums, the angrier Spencer became. The angrier he became, the less he focused on his own pain and the more he focused on his desire to snap Jonathan's neck. He looked back over his shoulder, hearing a rush of footsteps far below. Police maybe? "Jonathan, this is only going to get worse for you, give up now!"

"Like what your father would have me do? Fuck that, Spencer!"

Spencer huffed and pushed himself further up the steps. His muscles were aching for him to cease, but he wasn't doing so. "Even if it kills me, I will get you! I won't let you hurt Charlie!" No response came, Jonathan may have managed to get to the roof. Panic spread throughout his body and he screamed, pushing all his energy into climbing the next flight of stairs and bolting out the door.

Jonathan was standing in the center of the roof, looking around, his back turned to the door. Thinking not of his own safety, Spencer charged for him, tackling him just as he started looking over his shoulder. Jonathan cussed as Spencer rolled with him towards the edge of the building. The walls of the roof were at least waist high, so rather than roll off, they slammed into the wall.

He soon found himself being pulled up and pushed against the wall, with Jonathan holding his torso over the edge. He grabbed Jonathan's wrists and looked over his shoulder at the ground far below. His eyes widened as he saw people grouping up on the ground below like tiny dots. He could see many red and blue lights flashing below, but that was about it. "You see what's below?! That's where you're going, Spencer! You shouldn't have fucked with me!" His arms were giving out and his body was weak, wasn't Jonathan's as well, though? "Now the second I find that kid, she's going off too!"

Far below, Spencer could just make out two people in front of the crowd. Harold and Angelica, people were beginning to surround them. Angelica was on her knees, clutching her chest and watching the top of the building. Harold was kneeling beside her, glaring up at them. He thought he could connect with Harold's gaze. He was trusting him. Angelica was trusting him.

He _couldn't_ give up, he couldn't let Jonathan win! Spencer clenched his teeth and groaned, ignoring his pain as he started pushing forward. "I…won't let you harm _their daughter!"_ Jonathan gasped out as Spencer slammed the man forward. The older man stumbled backwards and struck the ground.

"Damn it, my shoulder!"

"Not going to work!" He grabbed Jonathan's ankle and pulled him back, slamming him against the wall. The man rose to his feet and growled, swiping away some blood at the corner of his lips.

"Bad move." Spencer clenched his fists, readying himself for a fight. Jonathan swung a right jab, Spencer ducked and shot his left fist forward into his opponent's gut. Next came a knee to the face, Spencer staggered backwards and caught himself, growling as Jonathan started to swing another punch, striking Spencer in the jaw. "You think you got what it takes? You're _still_ a punk."

"At least I know when to quit, unlike _some _people." Spencer slammed his right fist forward, striking Jonathan hard in the jaw. Jonathan grabbed Spencer and once more spun him into the wall, hanging him over the edge. He saw Jonathan reach into his suit and whip out a pistol. Jonathan's wild eyes glared down at him as he pushed the pistol to Spencer's forehead.

"I'm going to blow your fuckin' brains out right here, Spencer! For everyone to see!" He grabbed Jonathan's wrist, his heart was pounding and his body was finally beginning to give out. He heard the door of the roof open and close and slowly looked towards the corner of his eyes, Mr. Dooley and several officers were making their way out the door. They still wouldn't make it in time. "You should have learned when to quit!"

"No…you should have…" He slammed his free hand into Jonathan's gut, causing the man to groan. With that, he gripped the edge of the building and started to push upwards. His eyes slammed shut and his arm muscles tensed one final time as he pushed himself and Jonathan over the edge.

"W-What the hell do you think you're doing? What are you!" Jonathan attempted to pull his hand away, but Spencer would not release them man's wrist.

"Whether or not I die, I don't care. I am _not_ letting you harm Angelica's and Harold's daughter! You won't hurt anyone else!" The man flipped forward, screaming as Spencer latched his arms to the edge of the building. Both of them were now hanging over the edge, with Jonathan grabbing onto his ankle.

"You fucking fool!" He heard Charlie cry out screaming for him. He slowly pulled himself up, straining as his muscles cried out. He was going to fall at any second, he could feel it. It didn't help that Jonathan was hanging onto him like a coward. As he peered over the edge, he saw one of the police officers holding onto Charlie. She was safe. He began to smile as he met her eyes.

"As long as you're safe, Charlie. That's all that matters. Harold and Angelica love you…and I love you too…" His body pulled down and his head struck the edge. He groaned and peered down as Jonathan began slipping, his fingers clutching tight to Spencer's shoe.

"Damn it boy! Pull up! Pull up for god sake!" Jonathan's hair was a frizzled mess now, his face forever etched in terror. Spencer grew numb, chuckling vainly as he held tightly to the edge and slowly extended his right leg. "What? What do you think you're doing!"

"You said to pull up, right?" He bent his knee, clenching his eyes and straining himself. One final kick was all it would take, and Jonathan would never again be a feared name uttered on the lips of his daughter's family. His father would be proud of him, certainly. "You're not dragging me down with you!"

"Boy, I will shoot you right now if you don't let me up!"

"Then we both die!" He dealt one sharp kick into the side of the building and felt his arm muscles finally give out. His fingers touched the air and his body started slipping backwards. Jonathan let out a loud scream, still holding onto the shoe as it was thrown from Spencer's foot. _"Goodbye."_

"No!" Someone clutched Spencer's wrist in the last second and his eyes flew open. Mr. Dooley and _Harold_ were holding onto his arm now! Angelica was standing behind them, clutching Charlie close to her and consoling her. Harold strained as he and Mr. Dooley started to pull him up. "Hang in there." The young girl hadn't seen Jonathan fall, this was good.

"_Not_ the right thing to say, Harold!"

"Shut up! We get up here and see you pushing yourself over the edge? What were you thinking?"

"I didn't want Jonathan hurting Charlie, Angelica, or you. That's what." He looked back over his shoulder, grimacing as he saw Jonathan's body sprawled out below. The man landed on the top of a police car, shorting out the red and blue lights. Harold and Angelica may have taken the elevator, unable to stand around while their daughter was in danger.

Once they pulled him over the edge, they set him on his back. His body was completely shot, so much so that he could barely move. His chest rose and fell and his hair clung to his sweat drenched forehead. It was over now. Angelica set Charlie down, letting her run and throw her arms around him. He clenched his eyes shut, letting the tears fall.

She was safe now. Angelica and Harold were protected, the Duncans were safe. This time, Jonathan couldn't go back in time, he couldn't change a thing. The great "time wizard" was dead.

* * *

Whoa, now that was tense. What are your thoughts on the whole thing? How did you like the chase?


	39. Letting the Past Go

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 39 (Letting the Past Go)

After approximately a month, people were still settling down from the hell that happened before. Charlie was doing well despite her ordeal, which was amazing to Angelica. She'd done everything to make sure Charlie was able to bounce back and heal, this included many nights letting her daughter climb into her bed for the night. Aside from some bumpy nights, it was relatively quiet.

Now, Teddy was at work, so it was just Angelica, Charlie and Toby. Harold was also at work right now, so he wasn't over visiting. They were still in the Duncan home, which PJ planned to put up for sale by the time Teddy and Angelica started college. By then, he would have an apartment where he and Gabe could stay. It was good that he was able to keep the house for now though, Angelica couldn't handle any further anxiety. The house was very quiet and gave her plenty of time to think about everything that happened.

The nightmares still plagued her, remembering Jonathan's face as he snatched Charlie away. The vomit inducing terror was still there, but she remained strong against it. She wanted to let Harold go in with Spencer, hell, she wanted to run in there when that man took her daughter. The terror had been too great, she couldn't fight the fear of losing _everything_. Her eyes drifted towards Charlie, who was playing on the floor with baby Toby. Her lips curved into a smile as her daughter gazed up at her. "Hi Momma." Her eyes were full of love and joy, something Angelica was very happy to have. She had to keep reminding herself. Jonathan _lost_.

"Hey baby." Charlie picked herself up and rushed over to give her a hug. Angelica sighed contently and hugged her daughter back, smiling as she gladly took the girl's unspoken advice. It was best to pick oneself up and move along, to ignore the fear and the trauma, leaving behind the past and to work on the future. And what a future it was that she foresaw! "Are you enjoying your time?"

"Yes Momma." The girl had been her light, the one to help her stand on her feet. It was Charlie that kept her going. She threw her hair back and smiled as her eyes drifted to the television. It was on the music channel, sifting some classical music through the speakers. "The music's nice."

"It is, isn't it sweetie?" They all needed some relaxing moments like these. Of course, she had plenty of these moments in the past month. What did it give her? Ample time to understand and appreciate Spencer's devotion to Charlie just a little better. She spoke with her family about it, talked to Harold, and was ready to make a solid decision. Granted, it would still take time, but she decided to grant Spencer, at the very least, supervised visitation rights. It was one step, and if he did all right with supervised, maybe eventually she'd be comfortable giving him weekends. "Charlie, I have a serious question for you."

"Okay Momma." Charlie sat on her left leg and gave her a serious look, smiling as she did so. "What is it?"

"Well." She took a deep breath and gazed into Charlie's wonderful gaze. In the end, it was Charlie's decision, yet again. After all, this girl's opinion meant more to her than life itself. "I've been thinking about this for a while. How would you feel if I gave Spencer some visitation rights?" Charlie gasped and her eyes started to widen, so full of hope and confidence. "Granted, supervised. Perhaps once every other week."

"I'd be really happy! He's not so bad, Momma. Supervised is…what again?" She chuckled lightly and kissed Charlie's forehead. So there were some things Charlie didn't quite grasp yet. Granted, she still wanted to find the people that taught the young girl about _sex_ and whack them all over the head.

"Supervised means having someone watch over you. In this case, it would mean, Spencer would have someone attending him whenever he's with you."

"Oh. Like having Daddy watch over him?"

"Yes."

"Okay!" The young girl may possibly be wondering what it was that changed her mind, but she couldn't help it. As long as Charlie was happy, she was happy, and that was all that mattered. First thing tomorrow, she would get the paperwork dealt with. Hopefully, Spencer would see this as a sign she was _starting_ to trust him with Charlie. After this, only time would tell how good he was.

Spencer drove towards a law firm with anxiety building up within him. He tapped his thumb anxiously on the steering wheel as he pulled into a parking space. Harold and Angelica had called him to this place and it was here that he would either be given a place in his daughter's life, or essentially, be told to screw off. He prayed it wasn't the latter, but he never knew how these things would go.

When he gazed out the window, he saw Angelica and Harold with Charlie sitting on the hood of their car, chatting away with her parents. His heart skipped a beat and his eyes began to close. All the running he'd done a month ago, nearly dying, it was worth it.

He would never go on to a football career though, he'd stumbled up those steps too many times and seriously injured his leg. Then when he pushed himself over that edge, Jonathan had jerked his leg, practically pulling it from his socket. He hadn't felt that or noticed he pain until after he was pulled back over and the adrenaline wore off. What made it worse, tearing at some of the ligaments, was his kicking the side of the building.

Spencer now had a permanent limp. He was trying to get past it, but it crushed his dreams of ever going into football.

_"Worth it though. I would rather…have this limp…than to see Charlie or her family in pain."_ When he opened his eyes, he saw Charlie hugging Harold's neck and Angelica laughing as she tucked her hair behind her ear. It brought a tear to his eyes and filled his heart with joy. _"That's a happy family right there. They're happy because of _me_. I couldn't ask for anything more at this point…"_

He slowly made his way out of the car, remembering Jonathan's immortal words about what drove him to insanity. Never seeing his son again, becoming a tired and overworked old man. Spencer could never see himself becoming like that, even if he never saw Charlie again, he would never become that evil, that malicious.

In the back of his mind, he had to wonder, had he redeemed himself? There was like to be quite a bit that he had to redeem himself for, and he hoped that this time, he had.

In the corner of his eyes, he saw Teddy standing a few feet away cradling Toby in her arms. Of course she'd be here, she was as much a part of the family as he was. Along with her, there was Tommy, Gabe, and Susie. They had a different look in their eyes than he was used to. They didn't _hate_ him. His heart swelled with pride as he turned his attention to Angelica. She was now turned fully to him, her arms crossed and her lips up in a very tiny smile.

Charlie hopped from the car and ran over, hugging his legs. He chuckled and knelt down, hugging her back. "Hey Charlie! How are you doing? Keeping your mom high-spirited?" Charlie giggled and Angelica's eyes drifted towards the sky as she slowly shook her head.

"Of course!" Charlie exclaimed. "How could _anyone,_ including my Momma, _not_ be happy when I'm around?"

"I don't know." He slowly picked her up, barely wincing as a light pain shot down his right leg.

"How's your leg?" Angelica walked over, glancing briefly at his leg. He shrugged it off and gave her a smile, mildly comforted by her concern.

"It beats the hell out of being dead."

"I bet." She closed her eyes and drew a long breath. He watched her, still somewhat fearing for what was to come. He hadn't heard from her very often since the incident, nor had he seen much of Charlie since then. He was missing his daughter more than anything. "Look Spencer, I know we've had some rough patches, and I know you've got some 'issues' that you need to iron out. I can't help but thank you for what you did back there…" He started to feel a sense of relief that she hadn't begun yelling at him yet. Maybe there was some hope to be had?

"Like I said, I only want your family to be safe and happy."

"I know." Charlie looked to her mom as Angelica lifted her hand and groomed her fingers down the back of Charlie's beautiful blonde hair. "My daughter's safe and that monster can't hurt anyone else. That's _all_ that matters to me. I want Charlie to be happy, she is my world. Harold's everything. And I…I can see she means the world to you too. You essentially took a bullet for her, or at least, you get my point."

"Yeah." He nodded swiftly and held his breath. His body grew tense as he started to smile, he was eagerly awaiting the good news. "You uh-you got my first check, right?"

"Yes. Thank you. Now, what I want to talk to you about…the first step. I still want to be sure, so we're starting off slow, but I'm giving you some leeway as far as visitation goes." He held back the cheer, waiting as she finished her point. _Leeway_? He was fine with starting off slow, at least it was _something!_ "I'm going to start you off with supervised visitation rights, is that all right? One day every other week. That's starting you off, working your way to weekends overnight. I need to trust you more for that, but, I wanted you to know I _am_ starting to trust you some. I just ask that you do this step by step."

"Y-Yes, of course! I would love that."

"Okay, great, because I'm going to fill out the paperwork now…all right?"

He was overwhelmed with joy. Officially, this was the happiest moment of his life! Now, at least he could start working his way into being an official part of the family. He didn't ask for much at all, just to be a part of his daughter's life.

_Supervised._ Charlie smiled as she was pushed in the park swing. Spencer was behind her. In front of them, Tommy sat on a park bench with his girlfriend. She was showing him a drawing while he showed her a film he made. The 'supervision' would likely involve a different person being around when Spencer had her for the day, but it was fine.

She laughed as the wind blew through her hair and the moon shone down upon her face. She closed her eyes and grinned, flying through the air like she was a bird. The trauma she'd endured from Jonathan was a thing of the past for her, her family was great at helping her to heal and move on. Now it was a matter of living her life peacefully.

When she opened her eyes, she gazed up at a star amidst the black night. She smiled as the star began to outshine all others. Remembering her grandmother's words, she envisioned her grandma smiling down from the stars. Beside her was her grandfather and Amy.

She couldn't wait to tell Dee and Mason, and even the baby Regina, she thought life from here on out was going to be an awesome time. She was loved, she had a great family, and above all, she was _secure_. What more could she ask for? What would be next in her life now, what other adventures were to come? She need not worry.

Only time would tell what was to come.

* * *

The next chapter will be the final epilogue. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, what did you think of Angelica's giving Spencer his visitation rights? Albeit supervised, but it can become better in time, think that's fair?


	40. Getting Ahead in Life-The End

Time Swap

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows!

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 40 (Getting Ahead in Life)

Sixteen year old Charlotte sat with Mason on the living room couch, she'd since stopped using _Charlie_ and began using her full given name in honor of her grandmother. She lived in a suburban two story home and had an average sized living room with a vanilla sectional couch. It was angled so the corner cushion faced the television on the wall straight across. She and Mason were on the right end of the couch, Toby and Regina were on the other end.

Toby was thirteen and had been hanging around with Regina a lot lately, most times it was just to annoy the living hell out of Charlotte. Regina was one of _her_ best friends. The typical clique was her, Dee, and Regina. That was _it_. Of course, one look at her brother and his long shaggy hair, and Regina was crushing. There was no getting past it.

Her mom was at work, a congresswoman these days. Angelica and Harold had been married now for ten years, and of course, Charlotte was not their _only_ child. They had two more, Nelson and Melissa. Nelson was nine years old, born September 9th, 2016, and Melissa had been born April 19th, 2020, making her five years old. The two kids were at the park with Harold. Normally Charlotte went with them, but she wanted to take this time to spend a moment with her brother and her boyfriend.

Of course, that didn't change the fact that Teddy was still in the house. "Aunt Teddy", as Charlotte referred to her as. She wasn't tied down to anyone and was working as a secretary for the Mayor. She was the life of any party and every month, she seemed to have a new boyfriend. They teased her nonstop about this. In return, whenever Charlotte wanted to make out with _her_ boyfriend, Teddy would take her boyfriend to their bedroom and begin making loud noises that would make both Charlotte and Mason too uncomfortable to do anything. She had a feeling there was conspiracy here.

Mason had a hell of a time ever asking her out, when he did it was so sweet, but he still had to have a double dose of fatherly interview. _Both_ Harold and Spencer demanded to know everything about him. He would bear in mind that Harold was a personal trainer and fitness instructor and Spencer was a football coach.

They knew their way around the body.

"Why isn't Dee here with her date?" Regina asked, leaning forward on the couch. Charlotte shrugged her shoulders and smiled as Mason put his arm around her.

"She's busy, remember? She's the first of us to get into a college." Sadly Dee was spending a lot of time studying. She wanted to be a police officer like her father, the current Police Chief of Denver. Yes, Teddy and Angelica both went to Harvard with Harold, they moved right back after graduating.

The Duncan brothers she still saw all the time, though it was difficult now. Gabe had moved to Trinidad with his wife Jo, and daughter, Jenny. PJ went up to New York where Skyler was a medical doctor and he was a music professor.

"Well she should be here." Regina sighed and looked towards her wristwatch, her mom was _always_ strict about the time she wanted her daughter home. "So what is Spencer up to these days? You're _so_ lucky to know him, Charlotte."

"He's busy getting his team prepared for the next game." Spencer had come a long way since the struggle with Jonathan years ago. He wasn't set back by that limp he had to live with, it only meant he couldn't _play_ football. Harold, being a personal trainer, had greatly helped him bounce back. Now he was one of the best coaches around. "You should ask your mom about your dad."

"I do, but she only ever refers to him as a drunken shithead and will never speak of him." Alice Wartheimer had become a powerful district manager for the supermarket stores and never once needed child support. She had a lot of pride, Charlotte couldn't imagine what it must be like to try and win her over. Spencer evidently had enough hell trying to regain her mother's trust! She could only imagine what would happen if Angelica had been like Alice. That was a woman who _never 'needed' _a man in her life, a happy single mother. A nightmare to contend with.

"Anyway!" Toby declared, moving on from the conversation. Charlotte flashed a smirk at him. He wanted to be an astronaut these days, to fly to the stars. He was an amazing little twerp, and of course, they drove each other insane. "When are you going to tell Aunt Angelica about the good news?"

"What news?"

"Uh hello? What the principal said!" She tilted her head then clapped her hands, remembering what he was talking about.

"Oh! That! As soon as she gets home, she's going to be so proud!" She never let her smarts die down, both her mom and Dee kept pushing her to excel at everything. It paid off too! She'd tested out of Kindergarten when she was five and started schooling in the first grade. So when most were six in that grade, she was five. She was supposed to be going into her senior year, but the teachers said she was able to skip right ahead. She would be joining Dee at college!

"Great!" Toby leaned back and sighed, putting his arm around Regina's shoulders and twirling his fingers in her long red curls. "Life is good, Charlotte. Tell me more about Mom and Dad, would you?"

"I don't remember a lot about them, you remember." There wasn't much to recall, she barely even remembered Jonathan. The only time she remembered of her adoption was through Teddy's video diaries, which she regarded very highly. "I remember Amy was a very loving woman who would do anything for her family and Bob was always goofy and protective." Toby closed his eyes and breathed in.

"Yeah. You don't remember much, but for some reason, you always remember my first word…"

"Of course!" She laughed evilly and grinned, just as she once predicted to him, his first word had been _Charlie_. She decided from that point on to never let him live it down that she'd been right. She annoyed him enough that it just became habit, he was always saying her name out of irritation, then finally one day, he said her name aloud for all to hear. "I was your first word! Hah!"

"Yeah, yeah, boast all you like."

"Oh but I _will!"_ Mason and Regina laughed, always amused by the banter. The front door opened and Angelica strolled in. She was wearing a red business suit, her hair was down over her shoulders, and her lips curled into a smile as her eyes rested lovingly on her daughter. She'd been good with her promise and was _never_ too busy to be there for Charlotte over the years. Charlotte and her family had always been number one in her life. Her job came second. "Momma! I've got terrific news!"

She jumped from the couch, excited as always to see her mother. Angelica laughed delightedly as Angelica hugged her. "What's the news?" Charlotte took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder as Teddy started walking down the steps, eager to hear as well. Just before she was able to announce, her dad came walking through the door with Nelson and Melissa, excellent timing! Harold looked to Angelica with a smile and laughed heartily.

"Looks like your mom beat us home by a minute." Angelica smirked at him and wagged her eyebrows.

"Guess who's making dinner tonight, Harold." They were always making the arrival home a competition, with the loser making supper. This night was going to be different. Charlotte loved cooking, and now, she wanted to make supper in celebration of her good news. "But first, Charlotte's got an announcement to make."

"Right, but I want to make supper tonight!" Harold lifted his eyebrows as Charlotte took a step back. Her parents nodded as she pulled a slip of paper from the end table and handed it to her mother. "Here's why!" Angelica hummed as she and Harold read the paper, their eyes widening with astonishment. Charlotte beamed with pride and put her hands behind her back. "I tested _out_ of my senior year! I get to go straight for college!"

"That's amazing news!" Harold exclaimed. Angelica chimed happily and the parents hugged her close. She heard Teddy croon her excitement and rush over to hug them. Charlotte had ideas for what she wanted to be, where she wanted to go in life. She wanted to be an explorer, adventurer, a researcher like Jane Goodall. Though, she didn't want to work with apes.

Either way, this moment, this was what she lived for. Her family, moments like these that she kept in the back of her mind to remember always to cherish. She still remembered having come a breath away from losing them, to losing everything. So no matter what, she would never let that happen again.

Some people thought she clung to them a bit tightly, and sure she had to work on that, because they would be right. She did, and she had her reasons. Jonathan was just a man of nightmares past, but his memory still frightened her to the point that she did not want to be separated from her family.

College, whenever she hit it, would be a big step for her. She wanted to start out, maybe at a community college nearby, and work her way up to a university. She might not get into her mom's Alma Mater, to be honest, she was afraid to try for it because of the distance. Only time would tell, that was the philosophy she lived for.

_Time will tell, _and,_ one step at a time._

She would work on her separation anxiety, it wouldn't hold her back from achieving whatever she wanted in life. Today was the real beginning, the real beginning of the rest of her life.

* * *

Well I hope you enjoyed this. The last chapter, it's been a good run, and I'm grateful for everyone that managed to stick with me the whole way through. Though there are those that have seemed to lose interest a few chapters back, it is always sad when that happens, but again I'm glad for those who made it to this point. What do you think of Charlotte's future with Angelica, Teddy, and the whole lot of them?


End file.
